Not Everything Happens for a Reason

And you should stop saying that to people

Next time you feel tempted to tell a hurting person, “Everything happens for a reason,” think about it for a moment… then don’t.

I used to believe that every single thing happened for a reason. I firmly believed that there was some grand plan for my life — that every obstacle was divinely placed to prepare me for something much bigger than myself.

That philosophy seemed to be spot on when the things I thought I wanted did not work out for me. When I…