Okay, so this is more of a “quote” for a sermon than an illustration. Nevertheless, it is great (and convicting!) food for thought. From Fleming Rutledge’s Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ:
“Your calling is to discern the place of resistance that the Lord has set before you. You will recognize it by the temptation to avoid it. It will be way out of your comfort zone. It will be characterized by pressure, by disturbance, by antagonism, by pain, by humiliation.” (from the chapter “The Call to Resistance”)