A reflection from Caryll Houselander:
A seed contains all the life and loveliness of the flower, but it contains it in a little hard black pip of a thing which even the glorious sun will not enliven unless it is buried under the earth. There must be a period of gestation before anything can flower.
If only those who suffer would be patient with their earthly humiliations and realize that Advent is not only the time of growth but also of darkness and hiding and waiting, they would trust, and trust rightly, that Christ is growing in their sorrow, and in due season all the fret and strain and tension of it will give place to a splendor of peace. (Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God, p. 36)
Witnesses to Hope 
So true. One needs discernment, though, to know when the darkness is one of hiding, protection and growth, and when it is a result of sin blinding one from the light — requiring repentance, confession, etc.
You are absolutely right, of course.
This reminds me of Philippians 4:6-7. What I want is to ask God to end my sufferings. But this passage and the quote by Caryll Hollander tell us that God will give us peace. This is quite a different approach, and I am just starting to think about this.
Reblogged this on Witnesses to Hope.