Everything happens for a reason

Renee Lehman

(5/2020) My acupuncture office was still closed because of COVID-19 at the time that I wrote this article. While doing my Qigong practice one evening, the thought came to me to write about the Life Rules that I discuss with my clients. These Life Rules are: 1) There are no accidents, 2) Everything happens for a reason, 3) Everything happens for good.

When I have written about them in the past, I barely scratched the surface of their meaning. In this article, I want to present a deeper look into one of the Life Rules: Everything Happens for a Reason.

Everything Happens for a Reason. This message is simple, yet profound and deep: There are no accidents. In the movies we have watched, we have seen proof of being in the ‘right place at the right time.’ We have heard in the news and other media outlets the stories about people finding meaning in the deepest, darkest places. Here we are now living through this COVID-19 experience. Honestly, while everything does happen for a reason, it can be hard to understand the situation’s purpose while you are living in the middle of it.

So, to support this message, I want to share with you the following scripture, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11.

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

For Everything there is a Season. In Nature, we observe how the earth moves from season to season. Earth has its own rhythm: darker, colder winter brings a time for resting; increased light, cooler spring brings creativity; brighter, warmer summer brings fun; and the decreased light, cooler fall brings harvest. We can easily see the changes of the seasons of Earth; however, it can be harder to see the changes of the seasons of our Heart (the seasons within ourselves).

Change. Change is really a sign of LIFE. Did you know, that mature red blood cells are completely changed and new approximately every 100 – 120 days? Skin cells replace themselves every 2 – 4 weeks. Colon cells are replaced after about five days. The skeleton is changed every 3 months, and the entire body replaces itself with a largely new set of cells every 7 – 10 years. So, every 7 – 10 years we are completely changed. To change is to be ALIVE.

Change can be hard, and change can be entirely for the good. Change stretches you. It challenges you to grow through the trials and difficulties of life. Change helps you learn to adapt to new situations and to grow inside. The truth is, your Heart knows all.

Your Heart knows all the seasons within us. Your Heart knows the quietness and peace of winter; the hope of spring; the joy of summer; and the melancholy of fall. Your Heart knows, but does your Mind know all the seasons within? Sure, fun and excitement is easy to experience. We may like to stay in the lighthearted emotions, but we cannot ignore the other emotions of worry, fear, and sadness that are known by the Heart. Why? Because for Everything there is a Season. Everything Happens for a Reason. Don’t we know that Spring always follows Winter?!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this change (of seasons, for this example) is the continuous movement that we experience in the Natural world from Yin to Yang, and Yang to Yin. (The Yin – Yang symbol consists of a circle divided into two teardrop-shaped halves - one white and the other black. Within each half is contained a smaller circle of the opposite color. The smaller circles, nested within each half of the symbol, serve as a constant reminder of the interdependent nature of the black/white ‘opposites.’ One could not exist without the other, for each contains the essence of the other.) The change between Yin and Yang can be seen as night becomes day and day becomes night; and birth becomes death and death becomes birth (think of what happens with composting). So, when we look at Ecclesiastes verses 2-8, we see the seasons of change (or the Yin-Yang) known by our Heart.

God, or the Universe wants you to have a wonderful life. There is a plan for your life. There is a purpose for your life. The problem is that God’s plan is not our plan for our life. If we had the life plan that we wanted, we would choose to have no unpleasantness at all! But there would be no Yin and Yang in that. There would be no natural, seasonal changes of the heart. Think about people that you know who were never told "no," and/or protected from every ‘bad’ thing in life. They can end up being selfish, shallow, cruel, have poor coping skills and be impossible to live with (watch many reality TV shows lately?).

There is a ‘larger-than-our-understanding’ plan for which we must have patience in order to see how it plays out. Verse 9 demonstrates that God not only has a time for everything, he also has a purpose in everything: What do workers gain from their toil?

The answer follows: I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Your life purpose is hidden. It can be revealed by careful, thoughtful introspection. God has made everything beautiful in ITS time, not our time. Everything is appropriate and supportive for us. Even what appears to be a negative (Yin) can be a positive (Yang), as well. Our heart knows that we must experience both Yin and Yang. All we can SEE is the middle of God’s work. God knows the plan from beginning to end. God has you where you need to be to fulfill your purpose. There will be negative things that happen in life. Just trust that we cannot know all the answers to all the challenges and perplexities of life. There are things that we just will not understand. We cannot solve some of these mysteries and must have faith that it will all be for good.

So, right now, the COVID-19 pandemic is happening. It is happening for a reason. There is BAD and GOOD associated with this illness. Can you see the good that has come out of this for you or your family and friends? Can you focus on the good?

Remember that not every life lesson is about beauty. Life lessons are to support you in completing or achieving your life’s purpose. While your life experiences during this pandemic may seem difficult, can you view them as the Universe nudging you to see something greater?

You never know how this may change your life.

Renee Lehman is a licensed acupuncturist and physical therapist with over 30 years of health care experience. Her office is located at 249B York Street in Gettysburg. She can be reached at 717-752-5728.