Everything happens for a reason?

Do you believe everything happens for a reason? We say it ALL THE TIME, but do you actually believe it?

I asked this question on Instagram and Facebook the other day, and I’d say the *overall* sentiment is that, yes, everything does happen for a reason. ⁣
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Which means, my thoughts might be met with a little resistance, but you get them anyway.
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In the simplest of terms, I think everything happens for a reason. I just don’t think the reason is always divine or from God (and that’s how I generally interpret people to mean the phrase). Many times, I think the reason is our own free will…which I believe God gives us, but doesn’t control. ⁣

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It feels really good to say “everything happens for a reason” when we make a questionable choice or when the universe aligns in a way that doesn’t immediately feel how we want. ⁣
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I also think there is a difference between allowing things to happen and making things happen. If we believe God makes people die for a reason…or makes people sick or unemployed or abused or in pain for a reason, then it makes sense so many people question Him. And if we believe He makes ALL the beauty happen too, on His own, then it makes sense we compare or feel inferior or don’t trust ourselves sometimes. ⁣
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I’m rambling.
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What if…instead of “everything happens for a reason,” it’s “God brings reason to everything that happens?” Now, He is the solution instead of the problem. The whole narrative shifts. Life is no longer a predestined path, but roads we’re constantly laying. With God. A course on which we are responsible for our choices, but still dependent on Him to steer our thinking or make meaning of our joy and pain. Instead of focusing on a single outcome, we free ourselves to trust in His power. And our own. To accept our circumstances and lean on Him, rather than constantly asking WHY. ⁣
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Maybe it’s not about WHY. Maybe it’s about HOW. How will these circumstances be used to wield a rich future?

ALL MY ROADS deeply explores this idea. For a tangible story about “God bringing reason to everything that happens,” make sure to check it out!