God is not the author of suffering. But suffering radicalizes life. In the midst of it we discover that we have majored on the minor and minored on the major. If we give ourselves to God in the midst of it, we can find strength.
But whether we find ourselves in the middle of suffering or not — life is fundamentally the same. A gift from God — meant to be lived — moment by moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gePQuE-7s8c