Many people, including some Christians, are wont to say that "everything happens for a reason."
While the people who make this remark have good intentions—to comfort and console other people facing serious problems—pastor and author Jarrid Wilson says the statement is simply wrong.
In his recent op-ed piece for ChurchLeaders.com, Wilson says Christians need to know that the "everything happens for a reason" mantra has no Christian foundation.
"I come from a place where I believe that not everything in life happens for a reason, but that everything that does happen can ultimately be redeemed and used by God for a purpose (Romans 8:28)," says Wilson, the author of "Wondrous Pursuit: Daily Encounters with an Almighty God."
Based from the "Everything happens for a reason" mantra, people could say, "Your father died of cancer for a reason; your son got hit by a drunk driver for a reason; you were raped for a reason; you are struggling with depression for a reason; your spouse cheated on you for a reason; your friend was murdered for a reason; or your house caught on fire for a reason ... and so on," Wilson says.
If people examine these statements closely, they would realise that they don't make sense and are misleading. "But what doesn't change when looking at these phrases is the fact that God can bring redemption to each of them," Wilson says.
The pastor says the bad things that happen on people "aren't of God, his character or his doing ... He may have allowed them to happen, but he didn't forcefully direct them."
He cites at least three biblical verses—1 John 1:5, 1 John 3:5, and 2 Corinthians 5:1 —to point out that "God does not have His hand in sin, darkness or anything contrary to that of good."
So, if bad things are not caused by God, who or what causes these bad things?
Author and evangelist Kenneth Copeland says in his ministries' website that "bad things happen for multiple reasons, and only the Holy Spirit can reveal the source of trouble in any particular situation."
He says bad things can be caused by "bad choices (Deuteronomy 30:19), the sinful nature of men (James 4:1-10), the devil and demonic forces (John 10:10), and the forces of nature that have been corrupted because sin entered the earth (Matthew 24:7)."
For more of Copeland's explanation on this, here is his website.
