"IT IS IN THE FLAMES OF DIFFICULTY THAT THE TEMPERED STEEL OF FAITH IS FORGED.  EASE DOES NOT CALL FORTH GREATNESS."

Joseph Fielding McConkie
from Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, page 154

Again, because I have been a psychologist for 40 years I have spent my entire adult life trying to help people with various types of serious problems.  Some years back I came upon an idea that really  helped ME and I have recommended it MANY  times...I think it has helped some people.  Here it is:

1.  We all suffer during our lives.  To what end? For what purpose?  NOTHING?  We just suffer and that is it?  Continue to my next two points....we are going somewhere with this...I promise!

2.  What if I suggest that the next step is to LEARN from our suffering, problems, difficulties, challenges etc....  So I say, at some point when I am ready to take a next step---"Can I ( will I?) learn from what is happening to me?"  Personally, if my suffering and difficulties lead to nothing then that just increases my feelings of pain.  But IF I choose to take the next step and TRY to learn from my anguish....then pain PLUS learning sounds much better to me.

3. But guess what?  There is a third step that helps even more!  I go to taking my learning and use it in the SERVICE of others!  So think about it.....suffering/pain/anguish/challenges give us a chance to LEARN MORE and then we go forward with our new learning to love, support, and SERVE others because we are smarter now, more capable of helping now....

WE DO NOT HAVE TO JUST SUFFER AND BE UNHAPPY....study the next two steps and see if you can apply them....it gives us a place to go and great things to do...because "ease does not call forth greatness" as the quote above says.....in the "flames of difficulty" we become TEACHERS AND SERVANTS OF OTHERS.   Why not?  I like it.  Jim