I was reading a book by psychologist Phillip Z. entitled, “A Skeptics Guide
To The Twelve Steps” (Hazelden, 1990, publication #5130) in preparation for
an upcoming MH article and ran across the following quotation by Ken
Wilbur.

The Purpose of Suffering…

“A person who is beginning to sense the suffering of life is, at the
same time, beginning to awaken to deeper realities, truer realities. For
suffering smashes to pieces the complacency of our normal fictions about
reality,
and forces us to come alive in a special sense–to see carefully, to
feel deeply, to touch ourselves and our worlds in ways we have heretofore
avoided…. Suffering is the first grace. In a special sense, suffering
is almost a time of rejoicing, for it marks the birth of creative
insight.”
Ken Wilber (Source: Phillip Z. A
Skeptics Guide…, p. 12)

Christians, of course, would recognize the first grace as the grace we
received from Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. Yet, when we
recognize that victory almost always comes from suffering, perhaps it’s a
little bit easier to endure as we wait for God’s re-creative action in us
to give us new life, new ministry, new hope, and new opportunities.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance….” James 1:2-3 (NIV)