What is the reason everything happens for??

In light of some horrible tragedies that have been in the news lately I started hearing, "everything happens for a reason."  This was being said as a way to comfort those morning.  I then started thinking about the just God that I serve and decided to do some investigating.  Is this term biblical?

Lets go back to what first got me thinking this way.  As some of you know I work for a religious organization (group home for children and for single mothers and their children.) where my family and I reside at.  We go through a lot of training throughout the year so that we can better help the families we work with. During one of these training sessions I heard the speaker say that he doesn't believe in that 'everything happens for a reason mumbo.' I had never heard that before, that someone didn't believe it.  Everything happens for a reason had become one of those things that we say and we aren't sure why or what it means.  Like Don't throw the baby out with the bath water I mean really has this happened?!?!  (I did actually search the meaning behind this turn of phrase when I was in college but still REALLY?!?!) So is it biblical?

It seems as though the verse that some are relying on to support this is Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  (This is the ESV translation so yours may look a little different.) I read the verses surrounding this verse(Romans 8:18-30) and decided that the first thing we must look at is who these verses are speaking to. Well right there in the beginning of verse 28 we see it "FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD.  I am a lover of God, I desire to be closer to him, I await my homecoming into Glory, my soul longs to praise Him, my mouth has confessed His love for me.  So the verse it speaking to me and hopefully you as well.  So for the previous verses we are talking about future glory and how the current sufferings are nothing compared to the glory and splendor of Heaven.  Okay, so if we look back at this one verse in Romans and we know that we are talking about future glory and we are talking to believers in Christ Jesus; then we see that all things work together for good according to His purpose.  The struggles that I go through, that I come out of with a stronger belief and understanding of God, is an example of God working all things together for good.  Lets take a piece of my life (hey this blog is about me after all LOL)  that was a tragedy.  My 4th pregnancy that resulted in a second trimester miscarriage and I had to go into full labor and deliver.  I had no idea how strong I had to be because I had never gone through this before.  I didn't expect to be shown love in the way I was by my doctor.  I couldn't be comforted by earthly words or love but by His messages and prayers I found peace in my grief.  I didn't know my marriage was strong enough to stand with grief and brokenness.  All of the horrible empty feelings God turned around and strengthened me.  BUT to say that God made me miscarry and planned this horrible loss and pain for his loved creation is crazy.  The God I know and love is a God of LOVE.  Evil and sin entered this world through man and God comes up and shows us His love and mercy through brokenness and sorrow.  

So I say no, this statement is not biblical.  Although God works through the evil and brings forth blessings to those who know Him, He did not will the evil upon us.  So God did not take my son away before he was able to live outside of my womb just so I would lean upon Him more or learn about real love.  My son died because of a sickness in my body brought into the world by sin.  Through that pain I have learned more about love then I knew before.  


Another verse is James 1:2-3 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
(NLT)  I believe this verse also helps me prove my point that in our trials we can grow and become more then what we were but God is not the author of evil.


So the end of Romans 8 is AMAZING and I think we should end with that.

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wow!!  Who can be against us!  Not death, life, angels, rulers, the present, the future, power, height, depth, or ANYTHING else will separate God's love for me!  

Some other interesting blogs on this topic click here and here.

Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed!!

Be my "dye free" Valentine?!?!

As you may know G man has an intolerance to red dye.  It makes him act as if he has ADHD and he becomes very uncontrollable and is easily agitated.   We found this out last spring after talking with a friend and then consulting our Pediatrician. G man cannot have foods or drinks that are dyed artificially (easy enough to check in the ingredients) which includes red, pink, orange, and purple.  I say all that so that you understand my fear and nervousness for the upcoming holiday... Valentine's Day.  All the goodies that are given during this time are red, pink, and purple.  Halloween didn't bring me this much anxiety because we could clear out his treat bucket of the dyed candy and he still had quite a bit of chocolate and other candy that he could eat.

So what am I doing to prepare for this??  I have made up about 6 bags of dye free treats (rice krispies, real fruit roll ups, honey grahms  and granola bars.) to carry with us to church and other fun gatherings so that he has an alternative.  I have also asked our homeschool group not to put red dyed candy in his Valentine bucket at our party. Even though I requested this not to happen it would be unreasonable to expect others to watch out for him as much as I do. I will also make him up an "alternate" bag with suckers that are blue and orange to trade out any of the cute valentines with red candy attached to it.

Although I am nervous about this red dyed holiday I am not nervous about how G man will handle it.  During Halloween G man was very understanding.  When he was given a piece of candy he knew he couldn't have he didn't gripe or complain, he said, thank you and moved on.  When we got home and his dad and I took all the dyed candy out G man was still so excited about what he had left!  We had one mishap when a lady held out a large bucket for the kids to chose from and G man dug through it for longer then he probably should have looking for a piece of candy that he knew he could eat.  The woman accused him of being ungrateful and greedy.  Momma bear quickly jumped in and explained that he was not able to eat red dyed foods.  The woman was still grumpy about the situation so we left.  When G man asked why he couldn't have the candy I explained that sometimes the right thing to do is to just walk away.  I think the reason why he is so good about not eating the things with red in them is that he hates the affect red dye has on him as much as we do.  He is in trouble and spends most of his time in time out not playing!

While I know red dye intolerance is an inconvenience and not a life threatening allergy I also know that I want to enjoy my son and the time we have together and not spend that time with him mad and in trouble.  Below are some awesome alternatives (except for 10 and 15) to red dyed treats that I got from http://www.thedatingdivas.com/holidays/valentines-day/valentines-day-round-up-food/ and plan on making some of it.