Newton's Third Law of Motion... And the Gospel

Being a member of the LDS faith has never been something I have particularly struggled with.

I love the church. 

I love the gospel. 

I love God. 

I know it's all true. 

That doesn't mean my life is any easier because of it. 

Many people ask why bad things happen to good people, and I'd like to think I'm a good person. So why do bad things happen to me, and to others who are all amazing people?

Great question!! And here is my thought. Bad things happen to everyone, both good and bad. Bad things happen to good people and to bad people not exactly because you are good or bad, but because you're human. 

I know, great explanation. But give me time. 

You as a human being came to earth. You made the decision to come here and to learn and grow. Those are the key points.

To learn.

To grow.

How can we grow without opposition?

"For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction." Physics. But it's more than that. 

For every struggle we go through, for every heartbreak, for every bump in the road, there is going to be something so much greater of the opposite effect. 

The more sorrow we feel, the greater our capacity to feel that joy. 

2 Nephi 2:11 "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness, not misery, neither good nor bad..." 

If you did not feel that pain and that misery when those bad things happen, you would not be able to feel such a great joy and peace when those good things happen.

Heck, we wouldn't even have good and bad!!

So to answer that question, why do bad things happen to good people? I believe that bad things happen so we can experience those great things and be happy. So we can learn and grow. So we can in the end return to our loving Heavenly Father again.