We’ve all heard it before. As soon as things are not going well or not going as planned, there’s the all too familiar reminder that, whether we like it or not, “Everything happens for a reason.”
As soon as I hear someone say it, I subconsciously roll my eyes. Comically and ironically, because I often find myself saying it to others as well (even though no one wants to hear it).
No one wants to hear that the A/C taking a shit during the summer happened for a reason. Or that the guy you’ve been dating for the past six months, the one who has suddenly ghosted you, did so for a reason. No one wants to hear that the promotion they’ve been working toward at work has been given to someone else for a reason.
Yes, Captain Obvious, there MUST be a reason that these things are happening.
Maybe the AC is old and defunct. Maybe the guy doesn’t like that you’re always trying to control him. Maybe the boss thinks that you’re just not ready for that leadership role. Indeed, every part of our lives, both good and bad, is the result of an action, or possibly, inaction. Things don’t just miraculously happen; there has to be a reason!
The hardest part of accepting what happens, though, is that we innately believe that the reason for these things happening is not a good one. Missing that flight to Cancun where you were supposed to have a reunion with your five best gal pals could not possibly have a good reason behind it. But that’s just it! We need to open our eyes and see the bigger picture. Saying “Everything happens for a reason” is just not enough.
As we travel through this journey called LIFE, we must remember that what doesn’t make sense or seem fair today will get better and make sense in the future. What seems like a life-changing, unbearable event today can soon be a distant memory to be learned from in the future.
So, yes, everything happens for a reason. Embrace it! Realize that while that reason may not seem justified today, in the end, only YOU can control the way you react to the curve balls life throws at you.
The next time you hear “Everything happens for a reason!” don’t waste your time dwelling on the idea that it can’t possibly be true. Instead, figure out what that reason might be and adapt!
Life is forever changing. Only those who can adapt will make it through with a happy heart.
