Lessons learned

One of my summer reads is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I read a couple sentences the other night that stopped me and caused me to set my book down to think more of the ramifications of such a statement.

"They learned no compassion from their own anguish. Thus their suffering was wasted."

For me it is in the times when suffering is something I have gone through, not something I am in the midst of, that these sort of ideas can soak in. In the midst of suffering everything is too raw and consuming. In my life some of my greatest times of growth and learning have come through the difficult seasons. I also recognize that in times of prosperity and ease it is so common for me to forget the lessons learned. The above quote rang so true in my heart that if I don't keep close the lessons I learn in the midst of the suffering that those times of suffering were a waste. I pray that I can take time to reflect back on some of the lessons God has taught me in the midst of suffering.