But, God wants more than for any of us to use our natural gifts. He wants us to rely totally on Him.
This total reliance is the trusting in Divine Providence. One cannot be a saint without this total leaning on God.
In the lives of the saints, many ways have been described concerning this total dependency on God. For some, like St. Therese, or Blessed Jacinta, illness made these two young saints rely totally on God.
Part of the Dark Night is the taking away of natural gifts and the ability to do things on one's own, so that one is forced, and invited to "lean on Jesus".
But, the leaning takes place at the foot of the Cross.
In the movie The Passion of the Christ, one of the most poignant scenes occurred when Mary kissed the bloody feet of Christ. She begged Him to let her die with Him. This cry from her heart came from the most profound love any woman ever experienced for God.
Our Blessed, Sorrowful Mother shows us the way when we think we cannot go on anymore in the face of suffering. We can beg God to take us, or lean on Him, kissing His feet, smearing our faces with the Blood of the Lamb.
Therein lies our strength and the Dark Night teaches us this essential lesson.
