How many times have you heard that everything happens for a reason? That there is always something good in everything, if you only look for it and that only depends on how you choose to see life?

How many times has someone told you that everything that happened to you had a bigger cause or purpose which you didn’t always understand? That everything bad would eventually turn out to be good for you?

How many times have you heard that sometimes you need to lose small battles to win a greater, more important war?

That every heartbreak and emotional pain you’ve experienced will sooner or later be nothing more than a tough lesson?

And every time you hear something like this, you think of it as a meaningless phrase. You think of it as an empty cliché people say to comfort each other.

And you never believe a single word you hear.

Let me tell you one thing—whether you believe it or not, all of this is the truth. Because things indeed happen for a bigger cause and you really should be grateful for all the pain and hardships you’ve been through.

I know that whenever you lost a loved one or when you got disappointed, humiliated or hurt, you couldn’t help but wonder why God sent you all of these challenges.

Whenever you got your heart broken, you asked why He chose to burden you, of all people, this much, when you’ve done nothing to deserve it.

I know it’s hard for you to understand why you need to experience hard times in order to live through the easy ones. Why do you have to experience all this sadness before you get the chance to be happy?

You might not know it but every single life challenge is a kind of a test. It is a test of your strength and power. And it is a test of your faith.

Whenever something bad happens to you, it is an opportunity for you to grow as a person. It is an opportunity for you to cleanse your life from all the toxicity.

It is an opportunity for you to see who your real friends are and who the people who don’t deserve a place near you are. An opportunity to see the latter ones clearly and to cut them off.

Whenever God throws you in the ashes, He is giving you an opportunity to rise.

Whenever He knocks you off of your feet, He is giving you a chance to stand up better and stronger than you have ever been.

Every heartbreak is much more than just a heartbreak. It is also a chance for you to see your own worth, power and bravery.

An opportunity for you to learn from your mistakes and not to repeat them ever again.

And most importantly—it helps you see everything you are capable of, even if you didn’t know it. Because God will always send you only as much as He knows you can take.

Sometimes, He’ll put you through some things and He’ll send some people to your life just to teach you a valuable life lesson.

Whenever He sends you some toxic people, God is giving you an opportunity to learn what type of person you should never become and who the ones you should never make a part of your life are.

There will be times when He’ll teach you to be grateful for everything you have. Or to appreciate more the people who love you and who are always there for you.

There will be times when you’ll learn how to love and respect yourself more. Times when you’ll learn to put yourself first.

There will be times when you’ll have to confront your inner demons and shadows from the past just to see how much you’ve grown. Times when you’ll have to learn when it’s time to let go and when to hold on.

So whatever happens to you, remember one thing—God will leave scars and wounds on your soul and heart to serve you as reminders of everything and everyone who built you and helped you become the person you are today, one way or another.

Sometimes, He will crush you to pieces only to build you up.

And when that happens, consider yourself pretty lucky. Because it means you got the opportunity to reinvent yourself and to finally become the best possible version of yourself.

And not everyone gets that chance.