You know, there's also a theory out there from those that believe in reincarnation & multiple lives that says that we make agreements before incarnating in this lifetime. (I realize this isn't a theory everyone subscribes to
)
It says that we know
fully what challenges we will face, the family we are being born into, how easy or difficult our path will be... & that we accept it all
fully knowing they are obstacles that our soul needs to conquer in order to continue in it's ascension.
That we NEED those struggles and lessons in order for our soul to continue on it's journey. They may relate to past life's traumas or resolving bad decisions made in previous incarnations. They believe that this physical life we live is temporary, and but a blip compared to the totality of our soul's existence so while we experience pain & suffering now & it seems lengthy & eternal, it's really a short period of time compared to the span of our many lifetimes & soul's journey. Sometimes these hardships represent new obstacles, sometimes we just get stuck and stubbornly refuse to see alternate solutions & continue to face the same lessons over & over until we learn.
It's all in how you choose to look at it sometimes.