“God allows all kinds of difficulties for those who wish to serve Him, but as long as they entrust themselves to Him, He never allows them to succumb under the burden” (St. Francis de Sales).
As long as our earthly life lasts, the cross will accompany us and give us the opportunity to show our love to the Lord and to complete what is lacking in His sufferings, as St. Paul says: “Now I complete in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col 1:24).
Our Father, in His wisdom, precisely measures the hardships He allows to befall us, taking into account exactly what we are able to endure. Therefore, as natural as it is not to look for crosses and difficulties, it becomes possible to overcome our fears in the face of the suffering that is really awaiting us. We must take a step of trust and ask God for the strength to be able to endure suffering.
In fact, the fear of suffering often tortures us more than the suffering itself. That is why it is important that we put all our trust in God beforehand, firmly believing that, as St. Francis de Sales said, He will never allow us to succumb under the burden.
It would be totally alien to our Father’s being to leave human beings alone in their misery, much less to turn His back on them. On the contrary, God sustains and strengthens them so that they can bear what will serve as their merit and also for their purification. Thus the person grows in spirit and understands in faith that in this way he can truly “complete in his flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” and mature and be strengthened in faith.