“It is not when things are going well that we make our
progress. It is not even when things are going wrong and yet we feel sure that
we can handle them with prayer, that we advance. It is when, smitten by the
temptation to discouragement or even despair, we yet stand for what we know is
the Truth.” (Emmet Fox)
Anything I do or ingest that changes how I feel, that interferes with my mind, and prevents me from feeling the discouragement and despair in full will prevent me from learning the lesson I need to learn.
The absolute worst times have been the most important.
One thinks it is going to kill one. Of course, it doesn't. At some point one becomes open to dropping some cherished idea and to looking at things differently.
The absolute best thing is to be in utter despair. The bigger the despair, the bigger the lesson.
I've not found any way round this.
There is only through.