The troubling Jesus
Let me ask you a question please:
when have you questioned yourself prior to a decision - will this please Jesus?
There exists no easy path to life, whether Christian (or non-Christian), no simply pleasant tracks to idle the way Home!
An anecdote is told that a certain mission society wrote to David Livingstone*. "Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to send other men to join you."
Livingstone replied:"if you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24)
Jesus has issued ALL His followers with an identical summons to say NO to self and their plans. This call blankets any and everyday with both a willingness and readiness to the 'horror' of martyrdom.
The Last Word:
Jesus is undersold any time a disciple cuts a treaty with sin, and/or compromises their faith. Martyrdom includes far more of life than a cross or a firing squad.
*David Livingstone (1813 - 1873) was a Scottish physician who took the gospel to Africa through the London Missionary Society.