I've always been a fan of the phrase "Everything happens for a reason." I've even used this mentality as the basis for past articles that I've written. I use it to comfort both myself and others when something doesn't go as hoped or expected. Didn't get that job or promotion? Went through a breakup? That's okay, everything happens for a reason; God has something even bigger and better planned for you.
It sounds nice in theory, and I always believed that it was true because, after all, verses like Proverbs 16:9 ("We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.") and Jeremiah 29:11 ("'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'") tell us that God has our lives all planned out for us. However, what about when cancer strikes? What about when a loved one tragically dies? Is that really part of God's plan for us? Did He make that happen for a reason?
I'm not here to tell you that Proverbs 16:9 and Jeremiah 29:11 aren't true, because it is completely true that God has a plan for our futures. However, people (including myself) mistakenly use verses like these to support the idea that everything happens for a reason when, in fact, that is not what these verses are saying at all. A sermon at my church caused me to rethink all of this and what the phrase "everything happens for a reason" is really saying. If God really has a purpose behind everything that happens to us, then that would mean that there's a reason why people get deadly diseases and why some friends and family members have been taken from us far too soon. And does that sound like the God who loves each and every one of us far more than we could ever comprehend? It certainly doesn't sound like Him to me.
God doesn't want us to suffer and doesn't intentionally put us through hard times. However, we live in a broken and imperfect world where there is always going to be suffering. This doesn't mean, though, that we should lose hope when going through hard times. Just because God doesn't intentionally put us through challenging times doesn't mean that He isn't working through them.
Instead of believing that everything that happens is God's doing, believe this:
God can use everything that happens for a reason.
Like I said above, God doesn't want us to go through hard times, but they're going to happen. However, because of His love for us and His promise of hope for our futures, He uses these hard times for a reason. Sound confusing? Let me break it down. The article that I linked above is something I wrote after badly breaking my knee and having to undergo surgery and extensive therapy. The article is titled "Life Lessons I Learned From A Broken Knee," and I wrote it in response to my belief that everything that I went through was a part of God's greater plan for my life.
Looking back now, though, I see that that's not entirely the case. Did God want me to break my knee so that He could teach me some lessons? No. But did He know that that was going to happen to me? Yes. And did He use that experience to remind me of His strength and His presence in my life? Absolutely.
So remember, God does have a complete plan for your life and your future, and it is a plan for good. But bad things will happen to you, and this isn't necessarily God's doing. However, He has the power to use these bad times for good.
Not everything happens for a reason, but God can use everything that does happen for a reason.