The Heavenly Man

Well, if I was ever concerned that my ability to "speed read" has lapsed I don't need to worry. Two days of a nasty cold and resulting boredom later I picked up a book lent to me by my co-worker. It's a 347 page book, and I began it after lunch. I am now on page 311. It's called The Heavenly Man and is written by a Chinese pastor. An awesome book about God's faithfulness in the midst of horrendous torture. I came across some thought provoking words tonight that I thought were really good (considering the context):
"There are many ways the Lord may lead a Christian during his or her life, but I'm convinced that the path of every believer will sooner or later include suffering. The Lord gives us these trials to keep us humble and dependent on him for our sustenance...How we mature as a Christian largely depends on the attitude we have when we're faced with sufferings. Some try to avoid it or imagine it doesn't exist, but that will only make the situation worse. Others try to endure it grimly, hoping for relief. This is better, but falls short of the full victory God wants to give each of his children. The Lord wants us to embrace suffering as a friend..."
Now this brother is mainly talking about physical and verbal persecution - but I was struck with how relevant it is for even non-physical suffering or trials. It was cool to read something that I "know", but to have it come from someone who has suffered so much kinda puts a different light on it.