A Reason for Everything

This is something I felt compelled to write last summer. After it was published, I received a call from a reader who graciously thanked me for writing it. Now I'd like to share it again.

Everything happens for a reason, or so we are often told.

But simple words are often the hardest to understand.

How can we really believe that something that causes pain was meant to be. Isn't that just too much to ask?

No one wants to hurt. No one wants to say that hurting happens for a reason, or that pain is meant to be.

Death, disease and disaster, we do not wish for these things. So why do they happen and why would they ever be meant to be?

We often seek shelter from pain as we avoid it for as long as we can. Instead of facing it, we tend to try and forget about it, believing that we may just get lucky and it will go away.

But when it comes to the good things in life, we have no trouble saying they are meant to be.

We have worked hard, so we deserve that promotion, vacation and that sunny day.

And we are right, we do deserve these wonderful things.

But life is not a constant, blissful state.

And would we really want it to be?

I mean if we can so easily accept the good then aren't we selfish in trying to avoid the bad?

If the good happens for a reason then surely there is also a reason for the bad.

Accepting pain is not easy. Why would it be? But enduring our pain may teach us something we never knew. Pain never lasts forever and if we endure it recognizing it too has a worth, something wonderful may come.

Without rain, a flower would not grow.

Without disease, there would be no cure.

Without war, who would cry for peace?

Without death, would we recognize the beauty of life?