Nice Post - I'm still sad to hear of Chester's passing......... Also, I'd like to add a little different viewpoint on Suffering that I hope will bring some relief to those who might feel they're in a hopeless situation......
Ok, here goes - as a very Spiritual Person, I believe we come to Earth to receive teachings that will help us Expand Our Consciousness & ultimately aid us in returning to God (aka. The All, the Godhead, The Force, The Akasha, etc.)
So, when you are Suffering, try this approach & look at your situation from an Objective View, meaning take yourself emotionally (the Subject) out of the equation & ask, "What is the Deeper Lesson behind my suffering?"
You see, the Universe gives us adversity and challenges in an effort to help spur us to learn deeper lessons in order to return to God.
(For Ex.) I went through the horrific experience of drowning when I was a 4 yr old kid & had an out of body experience. It was awful & luckily I survived, & for years I was angry with my mother for not watching me more closely when I was in the pool, where I'd drowned in.... It wasn't until years later, when I started meditating that I realized that my Great Suffering, going through the drowning experience, was actually a necessary step that spurred a Fire inside of me to pursue a lifetime of Spiritual Study to explain the odd Near Death Experience that I'd had.... If I hadn't suffered that painful & emotionally scarring event, I would've never made all the Spiritual Advances that I have made in this Life Time.... So, now, looking back, I can safely say that my Suffering was truly a miracle.....
Also, as I get older, I'm believing more and more that Things Don't Happen to Me.... They Happen For Me.... And, when things get bad I just have to meditate and ask, "What is the Deeper Meaning to this Lesson?" and usually without fail, I get an answer that pops in my head, or I have a Synchronicity or two that happens and leads me to my answer.