As an offshoot of a post of ManofGosh in the Have Relationships Become Disposable thread,

God will use trials that you can handle to also grow your Virtue. For example if you pray for Patience, he may give you a very energetic child to help you obtain that Virtue.

I wanted to invite people to share what they find to be the benefits of the trials God sends their way, no matter how big or small. Also, you don’t have to share personal anecdotes. Please consider sharing your opinions, hypothetical examples like the one above, or stories that have been relayed to you about the helpfulness of trials.

 I’m sure many Trads know how splendid sufferings can be, but in a world so bent on pleasure I think I’d be nice to say a couple words about how glorious these little treasures are. Who knows, you might help remind a poor suffering soul how thankful we should be for our sufferings and how truly unworthy we are of such gifts.

I’ll go second:
First Friday Mass yesterday got me thinking: invariably when I offer my Holy Communion in reparation to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus or Mary, I find myself plagued with a great increase of temptations. The temptations are almost always related to the heinous crimes we are to make reparation for. I once heard in a sermon that temptations are a merciful gift from God. For every time we said “no” to God by sinning, He will give us a chance to say “yes” by resisting a temptation. Maybe I’m a little crazy, but it seems to me that this is God’s way of increasing the reparative power of my offering. Surely I do not mean to imply there is anything lacking in the Victim being offered, simply that my union with Him could always use little helps from our Heavenly Father. What better way to unite myself to Christ as He offers the Sacrifice to His Father than to suffer with Him for my sins and those of mankind. Deo gratias.