Q: I’ve gone through some hard times recently, and my aunt says I ought to be thankful because they’ll make me a better person. Is she right? I admit I’m having a hard time seeing things her way.
A: We all want our lives to be smooth and trouble-free, of course—but unfortunately life isn’t always that way. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who was completely free of worries and problems. Job rightly said, “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7).
The real question, therefore, is this: How will we react when troubles and problems arise? Will we react in anger,...