Everything Happens For A Reason

Times of challenge, hardship, adversity, pain, sorrow, and failure, are never pleasant, I think that's stating the obvious. Many of these such times are brought about because we settle in life, we become comfortable, and we become stale, rather than be continually pushing ourselves to grow. It's like the universe goes about giving us a shove, insisting that we get off our butt, be changing things up, and be working on growing ourselves. That shove normally comes in the way of making life very uncomfortable for us, often in the way of adversity, hardship, and the like. The discomfort continues to worsen, until we finally hit breaking point, and we make some tough decisions and changes, just to ease the pressure. Other times, we are hit with these unpleasantries without warning, or perhaps we knew the potential of it happening, but we weren't prepared that it would actually happen. Such events, situations, and circumstances, destroy us emotionally. It could be the death of a loved one, a marital split or relationship breakdown, a financial disaster, the sudden dismissal from our job, a diagnosed health issue, our house burning down from a fire, a severe car accident, you name it. Life has a habit of delivering us trials and tribulations, and none of us are exempt. When these times arrive, many of us become angry, frustrated, and even confused, as to why such events and situations have been thrown upon us. It's not uncommon that when one thing goes wrong, other aspects of life have a habit of falling apart around us also, making it all the more grueling for us. Many of us question how life can be so cruel, why these events and circumstances are happening to us, and we even lay blame on higher beings.

Imagine feeling devastated, hurt, and in a world of emotional pain, in facing such a time of adversity, pain, sorrow, or hardship, only for someone to come up to you and say "it's okay, everything happens for a reason". You'd feel pretty annoyed, to the point you would actually be raging. There you are, yearning for people to be getting around you, to be supporting you, to be sympathetic towards you, and to be compassionate towards you, only for someone to turn around to tell you that everything happens for a reason. Thankfully, most people aren't so heartless, straight forward, and brutal, and they will support you and show compassion, but it doesn't take the truth away from the fact that everything does indeed happen for a reason. There's no sugar coating the fact that horrible things happen to people, from the likes of murders to cancer, tragic deaths to disablements, and that makes it near impossible to in any way believe there could be a valid reason or purpose behind such a tragedy. As it hard as it may be to believe, there is always an opportunity behind every adversity. I can't give reasoning to why people's lives are taken early, or why people are hurt and treated the way they are, or why people have to suffer as greatly as they do with certain circumstances and situations, but I do know that there is always an opportunity to turn trial into triumph, pain into prosperity, and suffering into success. The opportunity behind such painful and challenging times isn't often clear or obvious, and it takes us to adopt a completely open mindset in order to see it, but there is usually an opportunity for us to make something great out of something so terrible. Sadly, most people fail to see the opportunity at all.

For anyone thinking that seeking the opportunity in adversity, or finding triumph, success, and fulfillment, out of a tragic situation, is ridiculous talk, and that no good can ever be found in such circumstances, I have a couple of examples of individuals, no different to you and I, who have turned tragedy into greatness and triumph. Nick Vujicic was born in Australia in 1982 with a disorder called tetra-amelia syndrome, which denied him the blessing of having arms or legs. Throughout his school days, he was regularly bullied and taunted by other students, because of his disability. Even as young as the age of 8, Vujicic entered into a period of severe depression, to the point he even attempted suicide a couple of years after. As time went on though, Vujicic changed his view towards life. He started believing that his life had purpose, and he worked hard firstly on increasing his abilities to be able to handle some basic needs, rather than relying on others, such as combing his own hair, and brushing his own teeth. Such tasks were made possible as he had toes fusioned on one of his feet, shortly after birth. He was no longer accepting in being a victim of his own circumstance. By the age of 21, Vujicic would graduate from Griffith University, earning himself a Bachelor Of Commerce degree, but it was his public speaking about the challenges and struggles he faced, after having been born without arms and legs, and how he had the resilience and willpower to overcome all the hurdles, that began captivating audiences all around the world. He would not only then go on to achieve the Young Australian Of The Year Award in 2005, but today, he has become one of the most renowned and recognized motivational speakers in the world, using his story to inspire and uplift others to achieve their goals, no matter the challenges in life. He married in 2012 and is also the father of 4 children. Vujicic is a perfect example of how one can find purpose and opportunity in life, despite the adversities, hardships, and challenges.

Vujicic is one great example, as indeed are the likes of Bruce and Denise Morcombe. Never heard of them? Well, perhaps if you live outside of Australia, you may not be so familiar with this couple, but they are the absolute epitome of humans turning tragedy into triumph. Any parent that has ever had to go through the loss of their child or children, would well know of the absolute devastation it causes them emotionally. This would be undoubtedly multiplied finding out that your child had been abducted and murdered. Bruce and Denise would know this feeling all too well. Their 13 year old son Daniel was abducted from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland back in late 2003. It started one of the biggest criminal investigations in Queensland's history, which dragged on for 8 years, leaving the Morcombe's having to deal with, not only the disappearance of their son, but also the fact there were no answers as to what even happened to him. By 2011, Daniel's remains were discovered in the nearby Glasshouse Mountains, but it wasn't until 2014 that his murderer would be charged and sentenced, finally bringing the family some closure. Now the Morcombe's could have quite rightly wallowed in misery, and forever be help captive by the pain of such a tragic event, but instead, they chose to use the event to help and protect others. They began what's called the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, a foundation set up to increase awareness of child abuse and safety, whilst also offering a place of assistance and refuge for any children who are victims of child abuse or crime. It's also become a great network for families who face the difficulty of dealing with a missing child within their own family. The foundation has gone on to become one of Australia's most recognized and successful, including the acknowledgment of its services through numerous awards. The Morcombe's have also gone on to travel extensively, in order to tell their story and educate others. To have an own child murdered, and still have the determination and passion to go on to help and educate others in life, speaks so much about what great values and behaviors that the Morcombe's possess.

The adversity, challenges, hardships, tragedy, and pain, that happens to us, or circumstances that negatively affect us in a big way, aren't exactly what we want or seek for in life. We all face these horrible times, some face worse circumstances than others, but what defines us is how we respond and react to such times. We can be angry, we can be resentful, we can be miserable, we can be unforgiving, and we can agree to adopt any negative emotions, if we choose to, or we can turn around such times to our advantage, or use them to help and inspire others. We can choose to keep a negative a negative, and let it destroy us, or we can turn around a negative, and at least create a positive from it. Sometimes it takes tragedy, hardship, trial, and adversity, for us to discover our purpose in life. Some events and circumstances just don't make sense, and we often cannot justify any reason behind them, but we should always seek out the opportunities behind them. We likely won't see the reason/s in the interim, because naturally, we are overwhelmed with emotion, but as time goes on, those reasons may start to become more apparent. The key is to remain strong. Anything we cannot control, don't waste time, energy, and effort, into focusing on them. Anything we can control, create, or construct, that's where we need to focus our attention. Achieving our goals, and building our future, that's what we can control, despite how difficult it may seem to achieve. Accept there is a plan for us. Sometimes what we may think is good for us, and we lose it, it destroys us mentally and emotionally, yet it happens for a reason, because there is something even better for us. It's about being positive, proactive, and resilient. You don't have to enjoy the adversity, tragedy, and hardship, by any means, but you can choose to accept it's happening, resolve it if it is within your control, and use it as your story, and one that propels you to great success and accomplishment. There is a reason behind your trials and tribulations, but it's up to you to turn them into triumph!

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