My son asked why bad things happen if God is good

J

Aug 21 min read

Had a deep conversation with my 12 year old last night about suffering and why God allows it. He lost his friend's dad to cancer last month and he's trying to make sense of it. I gave him the answers I've heard but honestly I could tell he wasn't satisfied. How do you explain theodicy to a kid in a way that actually helps them keep their faith?

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Comments(3)

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JJoshuaExperiencedAug 3

12 is such a tough age for this question because they're old enough to really think critically but young enough that they still need some reassurance. How did you end up responding to him?

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CChris M.RegularAug 3

That's the one that keeps me up at night too. I don't think there's a perfect answer, but being willing to wrestle with the question instead of just handing him a canned response shows him faith doesn't mean avoiding hard stuff.

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JJoeRegularAug 3

Those conversations are heavy. My 11-year-old asked something similar after we lost a family friend and I had to just be honest that I don't have all the answers. Sometimes the best we can do is sit with the hard questions together.

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