And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (ASV)
People read this as "everything that happens is good," and that is a heavier load than the verse asks anyone to carry. What it says is that God takes all of it, the good and the wreckage both, and works it together toward good for those who love Him. The hard thing is still hard while His hand is in it, moving it somewhere.
Paul writes this in a chapter all about suffering and hope, with his eyes open to how much pain is in a life. His claim is that none of what you go through gets thrown away. God is at work inside it, aiming it at a good end.
So when you are in the middle of something hard, the verse leaves room for you to call the hard thing what it is. It asks you to trust that God is doing something through it that you cannot see from where you are standing.
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