I often find myself asking the same question over and over again, and I'm sure a lot of others do too. When anything in life happens, good or bad, it makes you think why. Why me? Why this? Why now?

There has to be an explanation for the reason that you scrape your knee, meet your soulmate at that little coffee shop on the corner, or that fourteen high schoolers are innocently murdered at school. It is hard to conceptualize. Sometimes really incredible things can happen, yet sometimes super horrible. But really is there an explanation?

Each thing that occurs in life though truly does for a reason. Without each moment you couldn't get to the next. An occurrence or experience that may seem confusing or hard will ultimately lead you to where you should be. The universe tends to work in funny ways. Consider how many times you've thought "Wow if this didn't happen where would I be today?"

Trust in the fact that life is going to take its course in the way that it should.

Some believe that your entire life is set in a certain way before you even get to live through it. Others that you choose your way and certain decisions ultimately lead you to other ones. I tend to identify more with this belief.

Consider the following story to help shed some greater light on this:

Once upon a time, there was a great king who ruled over his entire kingdom with a mighty fist. Except for the fact that that fist happened to be missing a finger. Back when he was just a young prince a hunting accident left him with only four on his left hand. In the moment the now King was in a large amount of physical pain and distress from this negative experience. "Everything happens for a reason," he was told by his most trusted advisor, although he never truly understood this.

One day he decided to go back out and hunt, but this time in a new part of the woods he had never explored before. A group of indigenous people to the area captured the King and were going to kill him in a form of human sacrifice. Once they started to examine him, they realized he had been missing a finger and was not going to be sufficient for the sacrifice. They released him and it was then in that moment that the king remembered a certain phrase, "Everything happens for a reason." The King went on to live a long life and rule greatly, always keeping those wise words close to his heart.

It is hard to picture a better future ahead when things feel so low, but know that for your past experiences you are stronger. If not for your past you would not have a future. Don't let that past define you, but instead allow it to direct you into bigger and so much better things.