Romans 1:13-15 NKJV

[13] Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. [14] I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. [15] So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

God was well-aware of what it would take to prepare Paul for his ministry. The hardships he endured had purpose. Every negative experience gave way to better insight and more wisdom. Paul did not merely survive those trials. He thrived spiritually because God used them to grow him.

I have seen time and again, based on my own experiences, how God can make beauty from ashes. If I knew what I would have to go through to get to where I am, I wouldn't be happy about it. I wouldn't want to do it. Nobody knows this better than the Lord. My desire for easy doesn't spare me from the preparation God requires of me.

Nothing God does is haphazard or by mistake. If we have to go through the wilderness, He will bring us through it to something greater than we can comprehend. All we endure are stepping stones that lead us to a higher purpose... one God set out before us from the beginning of time.