Every Christian one day reaches the point where he too must be ready to accompany the Master into destruction and oblivion: into that which the world considers folly, that which for his own understanding is incomprehensible, for his own feeling intolerable. Whatever it is to be: suffering, dishonor, the loss of loved ones or the shattering of a lifetime oeuvre, this is the decisive test of his Christianity. Will he shrink back from the ultimate depths, or will he be able to go all the way and thus win his share of the life of Christ? What is it we fear in Christianity if not precisely this demand? That is why we try to water it down to a less disturbing system of “ethics”… or what have you. But to be a Christian means to participate in the life of Christ—all of it; only the whole brings peace. The Lord once said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, or be afraid” (John 14:27). Peace comes only from living this through to the end.
Romano Guardini, “The Footwashing” in The Lord
another great quote I lifted from Clayton at The Weight of Glory
