30 July, 2026: We would love to believe that everything happens for a reason. The idea that there is some vast, universal plan that makes everything, no matter how tragic, balance out in the end. The idea that everything has a happy ending. In fact, everything does happen for a reason, but only by putting reason in the balance can we come to some sort of truth about the question.
The idea that everything happens for a reason has many, many implications. For example, let’s say a purely hypothetical situation: A drunk driver runs a red light, smashing into a car with an expected mother being taken to the hospital to deliver a child. In fact, this is something that once happened in this area years ago. We would all love to know that some unseen reason for this tragic occurrence will bring the scales back to even and this wasn’t a senseless act by a foolish person.
But there was a reason: The reason was because one person decided to act in accordance with their personal lack of values, instead of giving due honor to the laws of the state of Kentucky. The reason was tragic things happen when a person decides to ignore the law, and this is just a result of lawlessness.
The Upside of Balance
But not all things that happen for a reason are tragic. Thankfully, we don’t have to rely on the whims of fate, or the cruelty of happenstance. Things happen for a reason, and those can be good things. In the last few weeks, I have been trying to take care of myself. I am limiting my snacks to just a few times a week rather than a few times a day. I make sure to get some activity every day. When it comes time to have a meal, I’ve tried to make healthier options. As a result, I have dropped 11 pounds without really trying to diet. Just making healthy choices has caused something good to happen.
That is the upside of balance. The idea that everything happens for a reason can be a tool for us to use to make positive changes in our lives. The idea that living right and doing the right thing can cause the changes we’d like to see in our lives come to pass. We can literally be the reason that causes something to happen.
Michael Jackson was right
As a young man in my early 20’s, I remember the Michael Jackson craze that swept the country. One of those iconic songs he released was “Man In The Mirror”. That song encouraged people to make the world a better place by making personal changes to our own lives, rather than try to take on the problems of the world. And that idea, the idea behind the song is one of most needed messages the world.
The principal is simple. “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change.” That was the verse in the song and that is the idea we should embrace. Personal change can affect you, your family, your friends and loved ones, and the community around you. Instead of one grand crusader, who rises to public notoriety, and prompts people to change, we should instead make the changes in our lives to impact the world. Imagine if everyone, literally everyone in your neighborhood decided to give $5 a month to the local food bank. My nearest town has a little over 7,000 residents. A small town to be sure. But what would $35,000 a month do for a food bank?
God’s Promise To The Believer
And of course, we cannot fail to mention the Bible’s take on this subject. I once heard a Bible teacher put forth the idea that Romans 8:28 should be a Bible verse that we wake up in the middle of the night to check to make sure it’s still in the Bible:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28 KJV
This is nothing short of awesome! As a believer in Christ Jesus, we can rest assured that God is working diligently to make sure that our world, our future is secure. That no matter what happens on this earth, God has already promised us that nothing is going to be too big for us to conquer. We have the weapons of our spiritual warfare: prayer, faith, the wonderful promises of God’s Word to give us the confidence to say, “There shall no evil befall me, neither shall any plague come near my dwelling.” (Psalm 91:10)
When the world is fearing war and violence, we can confidently say, “Though a thousand shall fall at my side, though 10,000 at my right hand, it will not come near me.” (Psalm 91:7)
Does everything happen for a reason: Yes, everything happens for a reason, but not all things are good. But as a believer in Christ, you can rest easy knowing that God is working on your behalf to make sure all those things work together for your good.
Leave a Reply