Painting with dark colours

I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but there is an amazing quote that I love from the film Bruce Almighty. It never made it in to the full edit of the film but is on the DVD as a deleted scene. In the scene God and Bruce are talking about helping people and giving them everything they want. While discussing it God says to Bruce:
God: Triumph is born out of struggle, faith is the alchemist. If you want pictures like these, you'll need to use some dark colours. 
This single line in my opinion is one of the best answers to the question, "Why does God let bad things happen?" This can be a very difficult question for anyone at any stage of their spiritual journey, and it is something I personally have been thinking about. After losing Grandad and then Gramma very shortly after my family did to some extent face the "why us God?" question. Why after everything that we have faced over the recent past now dump this on us? The answer that "God moves in mysterious ways" is useless to anyone. We all know we will never understand God, but repeating this sound bite does nothing to alleviate the pain felt. For me the question should not be "Why did God let this happen to me?" it should be more of a question of, "What can God teach me from this situation?" Having only recently come back to my faith, which was catalysed by grief, I was slightly surprised by my reaction. I find myself not actually sad for the loss of my family members, don't get me wrong I miss them hugely, however I don't fell much sadness. When they first passed I cried and felt a huge loss, but very quickly I noticed that I could not feel sad as I knew they had been called to a much better place. When I realised this it surprised me as I had not realised how deep my faith had become rooted in to my very being. And it is true that even when God paints with dark colours we can learn valuable lessons. Having been through everything that I have I can honestly say my faith and belief is much stronger and more deeply rooted than it has ever been. I know I have much to work on and that I will never be finished working at my faith but to see myself that I have come so far gives me courage and strength to carry on.