Spiritual Perspectives on Challenges and Suffering
Updated 2024.10.22
Life presents a stream of challenges and sometimes, your only option is facing them head on. These challenges are part of the personal growth journey.
As you grow, expand and desire new things, you will encounter challenges you’ve yet to overcome, and these puzzles are what make life compelling. Some challenges may even be a part of your soul purpose or contract.
Suffering can arise, though, from the stress, tension, cloudiness and chaos involved in overcoming challenges.
But challenges also come with loss. Anytime a loss occurs, you must adapt and overcome it in order to carry on. Loss exists in many forms; the loss of a person, a job, a dream, an anticipated opportunity.
There’s long term loss; you slowly have to accept and adapt to things being no longer what they were in earlier times. There’s sudden loss; it changes your life in one split second, forever.
In a world where challenges and losses exist, suffering exists.
Whether suffering is created by challenges or losses, spiritually, the insights, inner strength and character development you gain from suffering does have a spiritual value.
What is the spiritual value in suffering?
Suffering can have its rewards. With suffering, you:
Learn new skills and gain wisdom that can prepare you for the rest of your journey
Increase your ability to empathize and love others who are suffering, allowing you to become a greater source of love
Develop positive personality traits like patience, grace, humility and open mindedness
Witness your strength of character develop, creating higher self value
Develop a heightened level of appreciation for the little things, which can bring about feelings of total peace and contentment at times
Get better at finding the “silver lining,” improving your ability to spot even the smallest opportunities to end suffering
Become your own light in the darkness and learn how to become a light for others in the darkness
Can use it as a tool to help others suffer less
How can spirituality help you in your suffering and difficult moments?
Whichever spiritual practice you choose, it will most likely include cultivating quiet moments of reflection.
These self reflection rituals give you a chance to tune into your inner soul’s strength and bring you into touch with the cosmic consciousness of all that is; both providing sources of wisdom needed to navigate tough times.
During difficult moments, your spirituality practice helps you:
Access a well of deeper knowing, anytime, anywhere
Provides quiet moments for gaining wisdom and strength
Creates an inner sanctuary to go for peace and calm
Spirituality can provide you with a sense of centeredness that allows you to be at peace in the eye of the storm, necessary for the ability to see things clearly and take logical action during challenges.
It can also create a sense of inner stability, a sense that “I’m always okay as long as I have me,” bringing forward a mind-body-spirit balance that you can experience regardless of your external circumstances.
Finding meaning in suffering
To find meaning in the suffering, find gratitude for your suffering, a way to lovingly consider it. Perhaps reflect on the gift of your suffering and the potential benefits of the experience.
Think about any wisdom or insight suffering has given you or others
Meditate, journal or pray about what you learned/gained from the experience
Make a list of ways you’ve personally grown because of it
In what ways are you stronger and better? Did any positive events happen because of it? Has your suffering helped others in some way? Did you make a change because of it that positively impacted yourself or others?
You can also find meaning in your suffering by using what your suffering has taught you to help others suffer less.
4 ways to cultivate resilience and inner peace during difficult times
Here are 4 practices to cultivate inner peace and resilience during difficult times:
Find Your Zen
It will bring you a sense of peace in the present moment and serve as a safe haven for your soul; you’ll be able to use it to recharge. Find a hobby, passion or side hustle that makes you happy and rejuvenates your soul; something you can get lost in and that puts a smile on your face.
If you don’t know what your Zen is yet, continue to experiment with things until you find something that fills your cup. Practice that regularly.
Daily Gratitude Journal
When you wake up, before you go to bed, or even right now, write down as many things as you’re grateful to have in your life at this moment.
Make a point to regularly and repeatedly notice and appreciate everything that IS right in your world. The more you notice what is going right, the easier it is to feel at peace no matter what is happening.
The gratitude list helps you find the silver lining in the moment, which is your internal gateway to joy in any scenario.
Take a Moment for your Peace
Light a candle, inhale some essential oils, journal your thoughts, stand in the yard, listen to the chimes. Get your body into a relaxed position and notice everything around you at the moment.
Self Care
Increase the amount of personal care you’re doing. More positive self talk. More tea breaks. Longer skincare routine. Better snacks.
Taking care of yourself can help you become more resilient to withstand and absorb changes.
All in all, taking actions like finding your zen, focusing on gratitude for what IS going right in the moment, taking some time to exhale, and taking care of yourself can help lessen your own suffering during difficult times.
While suffering is part of the journey of life, there is spiritual value in suffering, you can find meaning in it, and use it to become wiser, better and stronger.
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