The Cross is Our Glory Given by God

The Cross was his Glory. Jesus did not speak of being crucified; he spoke of being glorified. Therefore, first and foremost, a Christian's glory is the cross that he must bear.. It is an honor to suffer for Jesus Christ. We just never think of our cross as a penalty; we must think of it as our glory. The harder the task a knight was given, the greater he considered its glory. The harder the task we give a student, the more we honor him. In effect, we say that we believe that nobody but he could attempt that task at all. So when it is hard to be a Christian, we must regard it as our glory given to us by God.

William Barclay, John, vol. 2

Typing this up to share here, I suddenly thought of an "assignment" from God that I've been dodging. I got an odd lurch in my stomach thinking of the fact that it is an honor, that nobody but me could attempt that task at all, as Barclay says above. I've got new motivation now!