On the Value of Suffering-Part Two

Is there really comfort and ease to be found in seeking comfort and ease? Or is this pursuit actually the foundation of an unhappy, discontented life?
John Ortberg tells about an experiment, done a number of years back, in which an amoeba was placed in an "ideal," stress-free environment. It died.
Stress, strain, discomfort are catalysts to growth. And growth is what we do--from conception to coffin and beyond.

Maybe....could it possibly be...that joy, contentment, and true meaning in life elude us because because we go about obtaining them in all the wrong ways? Could it be that real joy, contentment, and meaning are found as we accept our lives for what they are, stop trying to escape them, and instead really live them?
I'm not talking about living a passive and defeated life, but rather an actively receptive one. This doesn't mean we should never act to change circumstances, but action is taken from a place of prayer and stillness.

"Can you detect even the slightest element within yourself of not wanting to be doing what you are doing? That is a denial of life, and so a truly successful outcome is not possible.
If you can detect this within yourself, can you also drop it and be total in what you do?"
~Eckhart Tolle