Saying of the Desert Christians: Abba Copres

from: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Sayings_of_the_Desert_Fathers#Abba_Copres

Abba Copres said, 'blessed is he who bears affliction with thankfulness.'

Some thoughts:;

I don't believe I have ever, at the the time I experienced it, bore any affliction with thankfulness. As I watch my mother struggle with issues of the elderly, I wonder how I in my turn will manage. I've made no secret of the fact that I have Major Depressive Disorder and there have been moments when depression was the worst curse of my life, keeping me from being who I really wanted to be. And yet, there was also the glorious day when I realized that my struggles with depression had shaped me into what I most wanted: a contemplative. It has been easier to accept my illness, realizing God can use even mental illness to bring about His will in me.