Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/5137

5137 Joy and suffering serve to perfection....

May 27, 1951: Book 58

Recognize the father's love in everything, in joy as well as in suffering, and also thank Him for the latter, for it serves you for future joys in the spiritual kingdom. Whatever happens to you in earthly life serves your soul's perfection, and often it is precisely the difficulties of life which promote its maturity, because joys very easily lead to a turning away from spiritual striving. But the father's love also wants to make His children happy, which is why He also provides joy if the soul is not threatened by it. But the spiritual development of the human being is always the cause of joy and suffering. And people's destinies are so different because of their spiritual development, but this should never cast doubt on the father's love, for earthly life is only short compared to eternity, and an earthly life, no matter how difficult, will be amply rewarded in eternity if it has enabled the human being to mature on earth. But the latter is the human being's free will, not inevitably determined by fate. What helps you to mature spiritually first has to be evaluated by your will, and therefore suffering and joy can contribute to beatitude, since both can be endured earthly but have a beneficial effect spiritually. Whatever directs the thoughts to the heavenly father has been successful for the soul and demands thanks from you humans because His love gives to you as your soul requires. But if it draws you away from the spiritual and drives you towards the world again, then God's blessings will be wrongly evaluated, yet always in free will. The father sends you joy and sorrow because His wisdom recognizes what is helpful to you and His love always applies to your eternal fate.... whatever comes upon you.... The father's love prepares it for you, and therefore you should gratefully accept everything from His hand which helped you to attain spiritual maturity, and you will experience His love because it helped you to attain perfection....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers