Therefore, the perennial human attempt to avoid or escape hardship is a slight, but tragic, misdirection of the human endeavor. To endorse hardship of the sort I am describing would be an act of insanity. Nonetheless, the soil of hardship is the primary garden where great spiritual fruits grow. By great spiritual fruits, I do not mean human prominence, title, or worldly power. I am talking about spiritual power, quality, humility, and virtue.
Human greatness comes from the humbling decision to accept grace in the face of hardship.
The all-important action of the man or woman who finds this spiritual growth is the decision they make to seek it. It is a decision constantly renewed and increasingly prayerful as the stakes become better known. There is an alternative for people who feel that their lives are too easy. That is hardship deliberately chosen. It may come from a voluntary divestiture of privilege.