Daily Chizuk #1527

The Midrash in parashat V'Etchanan says a person should be happier with his yissurin – afflictions – more than when he receives open good because yissurin cleanses a person and gets rid of his averot. The Yalkut Shimoni in Tehillim says a person should thank Hashem when yissurin befall him because yissurin bring a person much closer to Hashem. At the end of Rebbe Avraham, brother of the Vilna Gaon's life, he was bedridden in excruciating pain, suffering from open wounds all over his body. When his son began to cry seeing his father in that condition, his father said this was the greatest gift that Hashem bestowed upon him. He said, "If I had the strength right now, I would get up and sing and dance out of joy in Hashem's goodness in giving me these yissurin.
This is how our great chachamin viewed yissurin because they knew of their great effects. How great it would be if a person was able to achieve the effects of yissurin without having to actually experience them.
Yissurin are great and accomplish so much for us, but nobody likes going through the painful process to receive those benefits. Here, the Vilna Gaon is giving us priceless information. We could accomplish more than any type of yissurin by holding back from saying things we shouldn't or by breaking any other desire for any kind of temptation. These are difficult things to do but it is well worth it. The next time a person is put into such a circumstance, he should pause and think about the golden opportunity that is being presented to him at that time.