Even in spiritual drought God sends us consolation, as He knows our weaknesses. It would be to our advantage to live our whole life in spiritual dryness but to struggle.
In other words, if we could reach Christ through being utterly abandoned by God, through emptying ourselves completely, as happened with Christ on the Cross. Then man would also have great glory. We shall have glory depending on how much we empty ourselves and how much pain we endure.
Featured image: source
The purpose of Christian marriage is for people to reach unselfish love and cut off their own will, and thence to reach God.
Featured image: Flower study, photographer Charles Aubry (or in the manner of). ca. 1880. Rijksmuseum
Married couples must learn self-emptying. They must give way to one another. Then they learn to accept another existence in their own existence.
Featured image: Murom in portraits: The family of Priest Polisadov. 1910. source
The Fathers did not ask for many words. They received one spiritual word, left for the desert, and lived for many years with that word. They attempted to put it into practice and they were nourished by it. We say, and we want to hear, lots of words, but we do nothing to put them into practice. When someone talks a lot, he becomes spiritually weak.