Everything Happens for a Reason

I didn’t love this book when I first finished reading it. Other than a vague familiarity with the author, I didn’t really know what I was getting into.

What I should’ve known is that this book is about getting cancer in the first half of your adulthood. Which, to anyone, is a terrifying thing. It’s about the emotional trauma that follows such a discovery, the chaos that causes within your family, and the doubt it casts on everything you believe.

So, yeah. It’s a pretty heavy read. And when I first finished it, I was pretty sad and really scared—the world can make you feel that way.

But then I talked about this book with friends and everything changed. I was reminded of how near-death experiences can give you a new appreciation for life. Through conversations that went late into the night, we discussed purpose, challenged the stereotypical definition of success, and reminded each other of the deep value relationships have.

I really want to thank Kate Bowler for that. This book didn’t seem easy to write, and I don’t mean that in a technical sense, but in an emotional one. It’s so much easier to keep our cards close to the chest, to lean into platitudes and other meaningless faux-comfort. But she didn’t do that. She shared more than anyone could’ve ever asked and in doing so, she invited us into a deeper existence—one where faith, and our understanding of it, can only grow.

Favorite Quote

If I were to invent a sin to describe what that was—for how I lived—I would not say it was simply that I didn’t stop to smell the roses. It was the sin of arrogance, of becoming impervious to life itself. I failed to love what was present and decided to love what was possible instead.