Suffering saints

Among Christians there's a range of suffering. If, say, a young Christian pastor is too green, then that limits his ability to counsel suffering parishioners. It also limits his ability to identify with passages of Scripture about suffering. If, conversely, a Christian is overwhelmed by suffering, then that stifles his ability to be an articulate witness to his experience. God gives some saints enough firsthand experience with suffering to enable them to relate to the plight of others, but not so much to leave them stupefied by suffering.