"If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable; think of it as a place of training and correction, and it’s not so bad.
Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who think it a hotel might regard it as quite intolerable, and those who thought it was a prison might decide that it was really surprisingly comfortable. ...
The people who try to hold an optimistic view of this world would become pessimists; the people who hold a pretty stern view of it become optimistic."
From “Answers to Questions on
Christianity,” in God in the Dock (Grand Rapids, 1970), 52
Steve Saint, who has known more suffering than most:
"Suffering is your expectations divided by your experience. ...
Come to think of it, so is blessing."
Jesus gets the last word (John 16:33):
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
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