It's a coping mechanism if nothing else. Watch The Secret and learn about the Law of Attraction. The universe will give you what you ask for good or bad it's up to you.

I think it's one of those cop out type excuses. It's easy to say and is a shabby attempt to suggest that even when bad things happen there's a good reason behind them. Fairly lazy I think. I would ask.... what about rape? , do you think rape happens for a reason?

People like to think that ultimately even terrible events are necessary to achieve a greater good. It's a coping mechanism. Believers infer that the reason is their personal flavor of deity. As far as general causality is concerned, of course everything happens for a reason, but the reason is probably mundane, awful, or accidental, certainly not divine. Don't let it bother you too much.