We do not seek meaning, serenity, or answers when our life is stable and peaceful. We accept our good fortune and don't question our beliefs. But when life blesses us with afflictions, diseases, death, or loss, the search begins.
At workshops I ask if any participants wish they could be free of all pain, emotional or physical. If any answer yes, I give them my phone number should they decide to cancel their wish. Why would they do that? Pain is the unwanted gift that defines and protects us. You would literally lose parts of your body and ultimately your life if you were numb to all experiences. Yet our society promotes numbness in so many ways.
The bitter pill of grief and pain is what starts the search for your road to serenity. Taste the bitterness of life and feel the discomfort. Accept and learn from your pain, and it will lead you to a place of meaning and wisdom.
Soulution of the Day: Our afflictions are not imposed by the Divine. Rather, they lead us to the Divine more often than our joys do. Do not resist the bitter pills in your life; know that they will lead you to a greater awareness.
— Bernie S. Siegel in 365 Prescriptions for the Soul