Everything Happens for a Reason

It was a typical summer day, and the sun was beating down mercilessly as we parked my father’s truck in front of the store. It was midday and we couldn’t wait to enter the air-conditioned building and be engulfed by the welcome cool, pleasant air. We had all piled out of the vehicle when one of us—we won’t say who—closed and locked the driver’s door without realizing that the other door was closed as well and that, worse still, my purse in which I had put the keys was now locked inside the truck. It was an older vehicle and, consequently, it couldn’t boast of having a keyless entry keypad or any other means of unlocking it other than using its key. We all heaved a deep sigh upon realizing the predicament. We were 45 minutes from home, and my father was working and was also quite far from us, so our options were few. After thoroughly assessing the situation and realizing that there truly was no way to get in through any of the windows or any such thing, I decided to walk across the parking lot to the drycleaners and ask for a metal hanger and try to accomplish something with it. To my dismay, no matter what I tried or how I twisted the hanger, shoving it down inside the door in hopes of somehow being able to pull back the lock, nothing worked. To make a long story short, we tried everything we could think of—no matter how unearthly the notion—to either unlock the door or somehow find a way out of the “fix” into which we had gotten ourselves. At this point we were also very hot, to say the least, and in view of the imperfect humans that we are, frustration and impatience threatened to creep in.

We at last decided to enter the store and later try to think of a solution. We had just started walking down the aisles, when a young man approached my mother and asked if we needed help. Apparently, he had been observing our futile attempts and was kind enough to offer us a hand. We readily accepted his help and followed him out to the truck. We all stood around as he tried—in the stifling heat—to do that which we had failed to achieve moments earlier. After what seemed an eternity, his perseverance paid off. We couldn’t believe it. I had left my purse open, fortunately, and he had finally managed to pick up the keys from inside my purse by using the metal hanger and pulling the keys through the window which was cracked open. It had taken many painstaking tries, but he had finally been successful. Logically, we couldn’t thank him enough for his kindness. As he was preparing to leave, I remembered that I had a Steps to Christ in my purse. I grabbed it and ran towards him. I thanked him again as I handed him the book, and he accepted it with a grateful smile. As he drove away, I began to reflect over the incident, and I realized something important which changed my entire perspective. As frustrating as the ordeal may have seemed, it dawned on me that God may have had a special purpose in allowing it to happen. Had the keys not gotten locked in the truck, we most likely would have never met that young man, and I never would have had the opportunity to give him that precious little book. And what if one day, when we get to heaven by the grace of God, I see him there because of that one day the keys got locked in the truck? What a thought!

“Everything happens for a reason,” people say. Although I cannot know if everyone who says this truly believes it, I’d like to think that you and I do. And even though the incident I have related may be a simple example and a seemingly small “trial,” this does not detract from the importance of the lesson that can thereby be learned—a lesson of faith and trust in God and in His workings, and a reminder that sometimes “bad” things happen for good reasons. This concept can be applied to the greater and more painful trials that come our way. Whether it be an incident as vexing as locking our keys in the car, or a severe and bitter trial such as losing someone we love, we must strive to remember always, with the Lord’s help, that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).

How familiar we may be with the story of Esther, Daniel, or Joseph. We may have read and heard these stories over and over, and we might clearly see how in their lives God allowed certain trials, experiences, and situations for a good purpose. We may effortlessly be able to understand God’s reasons and trace the workings of the hand of Providence throughout their lives. How easily we see the picture God was trying to paint, and how plainly we see why things happened the way they did! But in our own lives, how different it is. We are blinded by the fog of uncertainty, by the darkness of doubt, and the clouds of mystery. We cannot see beyond our present circumstances, and we are thus tempted to murmur and complain and become discouraged, for we are not yet able to understand the workings of God’s providence. In moments like these we should remember the inspired words of the servant of the Lord: “God has given us sufficient evidence of His love, and we are not to doubt His goodness because we cannot understand the workings of His providence” (The Great Controversy , p. 47).

God can use us in a great way, just as He did Esther, Daniel, Joseph, and countless others. But we must be willing to trust His plan, even if we have many questions; and we must be willing to follow where He leads, although at times we cannot see the path beneath our feet. In Isaiah 55:8 we are reminded that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are our ways His ways. What may not make sense to us makes perfect sense to God, and what we may think is nothing but a misfortune may be, in God’s eyes, an ultimate blessing. God’s wisdom is never erring, and we should find rest and peace in knowing that, no matter how perplexing a problem or how furious a storm, the Lord is leading us where we are meant to be. He allows the wind, the waves, the storm, the pain, the darkness for our good . . . although our human mind and heart many times fail to grasp this.

Sometimes God’s leading will be clear, at other times it may seem we are on a long detour, and we are not able to discern God’s plan until much later. In other situations, our finite minds will not be enlightened until we reach that heavenly land with the help of God. But whatever the case may be, we must have trust in our heavenly Father as a little child trusts his or her earthly father. God has a purpose for every failure; a reason for every heartache. We do not encounter moments of difficulty or grief simply because we have “had a stroke of bad luck.” “God speaks to us through His providential workings and through the influence of His Spirit upon the heart. In our circumstances and surroundings, in the changes daily taking place around us, we may find precious lessons if our hearts are but open to discern them” ( Steps to Christ, p. 87).

My wish and prayer for you, dear reader, is that in the trying moments of your life—whether they be small annoyances and troubles or crushing trials—you are able to recognize God’s hand, even though you may not be able to see His plan. When you don’t understand why things happen the way they do and you wish you could see what is on the other side, remember that all things truly do happen for a reason; and as long as we know that God is beside us, we can trust that the reason is a worthy one. When we are confused and discouraged, when we wonder and question, when we feel hurt and overwhelmed, may our hearts be cheered and our spirit renewed and strengthened to know and remember the following words: “There are homes for the pilgrims of earth. There are robes for the righteous, with crowns of glory and palms of victory. All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain. The things hard to be understood will then find explanation. The mysteries of grace will unfold before us. Where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken promises, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. We shall know that infinite love ordered the experiences that seemed most trying. As we realize the tender care of Him who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” ( The Adventist Home, p. 542).