By Rabbi Aharon Seleh:
The Sfas Emes has a fascinating insight into the Jewish nation’s journey in the desert. He writes that the forty year journey was a prerequisite to being entitled to Eretz Yisrael, because Eretz Yisrael is one of three things that must come with suffering.
But Hashem, who is our merciful father, tried to downgrade our suffering by giving us daily inconveniences, simple things like the baby crying, misplacing a slipper, which would have sufficed in place of the forty year wander and we would have entered Eretz Yisrael in just three days! But unfortunately we didn’t embrace these inconveniences and suffered according to the letter of the law
This is the rule of thumb. Anytime we go through any small inconvenience, it’s considered Yissurim which are in place of much greater suffering which should have came. Hashem is being extremely merciful. These could potentially atone many many of our sins. But this only applies if one embraces these small Yissurim and accepts them with love. If not, the atonement was not achieved and one might have to suffer according to the letter of the law.