When Bad Things Happen . . .

So often when someone dies, I hear things like, "God has called him home," or "God needs her more than we do."  In times of misfortune, too, some will say that God sends misfortune to test our faith or to help us grow.  I can't believe that God makes bad things happen to us.  God allows such things to happen, because without having the bad along with the good, there could be no freedom for us.  Among my deepest beliefs are: (1)  that God is the source of all that is good in our lives, (2) that God desires only the best for us, and (3) that God is working for good in our lives as much as we will allow it.  Sometimes bad things happen to us because of our own bad choices, but often these bad things are random events.  God can use the bad events in our lives for good if we choose to allow God into our lives to help us through the bad parts, but I cannot accept the idea that the tragic events that come to us are caused by God.