There is no comfortable way to carry a cross; I don’t care how you position it. I often talk to people who are convinced that some suffering or pain in their lives is an indication that they must not be following Jesus. After all, if they are following Jesus, the Son of God, doesn’t it follow that things in life are going to unfold smoothly? There is this junk theology floating around out there that points to difficulties as evidence that you must not be following Jesus. The Biblical reality is that when people say yes to following Jesus, they are agreeing to carry a cross, and that will be painful at times.
Kyle Idleman, "Not a Fan" (p. 160-161)