“In the difficult are the friendly forces, the hands that work on us.” Rainer Maria Rilke

I love this quote. It summarizes one of the few benefits of living through something difficult. It also summons a perspective sorely needed right now. When we struggle, it is very difficult to feel this sentiment. We may get lost in the belief that we are merely suffering with no purpose, and worse yet, no end in sight.

This negative mental space prevents us from intuiting the quiet reshaping that might be taking place within us. A shift happens, and a lens gets cleared after we have endured something difficult. An unpredictable gift can come out on the other side.

Does this mean we do not struggle? Nope. We do. But if we can get through the struggle….. if we can know that somehow, what just happened has prepped us, that can change everything.