My readings from Walking with God through Pain and Suffering - Keller

Have been blessed reading Keller's book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering.  have been finding God in the midst of my trials and he continues to speak.

EXCERPT PAGE 190-191,192
First, suffering transforms our attitude towards ourselves. It humbles us and removes unrealistic self regard and pride. It shows us how fragile we are.....suffering removes the blinders. It does not so much makes us helpless and out of control as it shows us we have always been vulnerable and dependent on God. Suffering merely helps us wake up to that fact and live in accordance with it.

Suffering also leads us to examine ourselves ad see weaknesses, because it brings us the worst in us. Our weak faith, sharp tongue, laziness, insensitivity to people, worry, bitter and other weaknesses in character will become evident to us (and others) in hard times.

Second, suffering will profoundly change our relationship to the good things in our lives. We will see that things have become too important to us. When we are devastated by a career reversal, there is real loss and grieve. But we may also come to see that the magnitude of our suffering is due to the excessive weight we put on our job status or other achievements.  The reversal can be a unique opportunity to invest more of our hope and meaning in God and family and others....

Thirdly, and most of all, suffering can strengthen our relationship to God like nothing else can. C.S. Lewis famous dictum is true, that in prosperity God whispers to us but in adversity He shouts to us. Suffering is indeed a test of our connection  to God. It can tempt us to be so angry at God and at life that we have no desire to pray. Yet it also has the resources to to greatly deepen our divine friendship. It starts with analysis. When times are good how do you know if you love God or just love the things He is giving you or doing for you? You don't really. In times of health and prosperity, it is easy to think you have a loving relationship to God. You pray and do your religious duties since it is comforting and seems to be paying off. But it is only in suffering that we can hear God shouting a set of questions at us: "Were things all right between us as long as I waited on you hand and foot? Did you get into this relationship for me to serve you or for you to serve me? .....it is only in suffering that faith and trust in God can be known to be in God, therefore it is only in suffering that our love relationship with God can become more and more genuine.

Suffering drives us toward God to pray as we never would otherwise ..

Finally, suffering is almost a prerequisite if we are going to be of much use to other people, especially when they go through their own trials. Adversity makes us far more compassionate than we would have been otherwise. Before, when we saw others in grieve we may have secretly wondered what all the blubbering was about, why people cant just suck it up and go on.....When we have suffered, we become more tender hearted and able to help others in suffering. Suffering creates wisdom in people, if they handle it and it doesn't make them hard
  
Heb 12:1-17
Romans 8:18-30
2 Cor 1:3-12  4:7-5:5, 11:24-12:10  and
most 1 Peter