Why Everything Happens for a Reason

This morning I received the news that a close friend of mine, and her son, were shot and killed. I didn't know how to react, as my mind flashed back to April 2014, when I received a similar call about my brother dying in a head-on collision. "Wait, what? No way. That doesn't happen in my life, not this close."  It was surreal -  I heard the words, and they didn't fit.

And then someone posted a short message about her, with a song. And as I listened to the words, I pictured my friends face, I heard her voice. I remembered sitting next to her as we learned about sharing our message with the world, about opening ourselves and being vulnerable. I remembered being blown away when she stood on stage, trembling and scared, and presented her message of Being True to herself, of Standing in Her Power at all times, and thinking "Wow! She is going to change so many lives with this message!"

And I cried. As the words of the song spoke of resting high on that mountain, and showering down the love of the Father and the Son, I cried because I know while she is still here, still living in that higher plane, we don't get her here. I haven't heard her finished presentation, and now I have even longer to wait before I do. Her smile, her laugh, her gentle way of seeing and loving every person, are gone from the earth, and there is no one, no thing, that can replace her.

There is a phrase that is said at times like these, and I believe it whole-heartedly, though many people misunderstand it.

Everything happens for a reason.


There is reason, there is purpose, and there is learning in every tragedy - even the murder of my dear friend, or the accident that took my brothers life. There is reason for every single thing that happens on this earth, especially those tragedies that are committed by our fellow man. There IS inherent good in every situation. Today, I address specifically the tragedy caused directly by one person against another.

Our Heavenly Father created us, each one of us, in His likeness. And, in His infinite love and wisdom, He gave each of us the gift of choice, the ability to choose what we do, every moment of every day. Every person on this earth made the choice to come here, to have the human experience, and to do their best to follow God's plan, be obedient to His teachings, and return to live with him.

The Reason behind tragedy is this: Each son and daughter of God has the freedom to choose their own actions, and some of them choose to hurt others. Some choose to ignore the promptings of His Spirit and do things that bring pain, sadness, and death. Some choose to allow their emotions to rule over them, driving them to seek the destruction of others.

Why does God allow these tragedies to occur? If He loves us, why does he allow some of His children to bring pain and death to others?

God allows these things to happen so that we can more powerfully choose to return to Him. How can we be obedient to what He wants for us, if there were no temptation to do otherwise? How can we choose into unconditional love, if there is no reason to hate? How can we choose to forgive, if there is crime to be forgiven?

God does not create the evil in this world. God allows the evil in this world to occur, because without opposition, there is no choice. Without choice, there is no growth, there is no progression.

Goodness grows in proportion to the evil it overcomes. 

And remember, there is inherent good in every situation. EVERY situation.

Why?

Every tragedy contains inherent good, because YOU ARE the good! As a child of a Father in Heaven, you are inherently good - Light and Life are your birthright, and they live inside every person. If you are looking for the good in a situation, look no further than yourself. YOU ARE the good.

And your power grows in proportion to the evil you choose to overcome.

I am grateful for this lesson. I forgive the man who chose to kill my friend and her son. I extend my love to him, as well as my friends family, because I trust my Savior, who told me to "Love God, and love thy neighbor as thyself."