One of my daycare moms came to me for some advice. She has a 14 year old brother. Her family is not very "churched" and he is denying and denouncing God. He is now claiming he wants to kill himself and all this stuff. The family really needs a lot of prayer. I suggested to her that he should start going to a youth group to be in a positive Christian environment. This daycare mom is also struggling with how to talk to him and explain to him why God does certain things or lets certain things happen. How would you explain to a kid that age about that? I tried giving her my own opinion, but I would like to know what you all would say as well.
It was once explained to me by our former pastor that God allows bad things to happen in order to bring about a greater good. Other opinions are that sin is the cause for all the bad in the world. I can get with both explanations.
Child needs HELP! First of all suicide threats should NEVER be taken lightly. No matter how much you think he is just kidding. Kids who are entertaining the thought of suicide HAVE thought about it. It is a cry for help. I suggest immediate evaluation/counseling, preferably by a strong Christian. He also needs VERY close and constant supervision. (I have a degree in psychology. I'm not just saying this to scare anyone.) Now about the "Why does God let bad things happen" question: Our pastor says this "The question should be, "Why do good things happen to bad people?' " This means, of course, that we are all sinners and really don't deserve all the good that God gives us. I think that bad things happen for both of the reasons Becky stated. Sometimes God ALLOWS (not causes) bad things to bring us closer to him or to bring about a greater good. Sometimes bad things are a result of sin, and unfortunatley consequences usually affect more than just the peerson commiting the sin. Being that we are all sinners, we have all done bad things that caused hurt for other people. We don't always immediately know the answer to why something bad has happened. Sometimes God reveals the answer to us, sometimes He doesn't. Sometimes the situation may have helped someone we never know about. Until we understand who God is, we will never understand that all things happen for a reason. We need to cover this family in prayer. Pray that they will see who God is ~~ a faithful and loving God, who never leaves or forsakes his children.
God doesn't always cause bad things to happen BUT He can use them for His Glory and Becky said. He may not have caused a moose to step out into the road when Tracy was travelling BUT He did allow a positive outcome from it. At the age of 14, it's hard to reach them... any suicidal thought should be taken seriously - especially the ones that seem to be well thought out (like time, place and other significant details). Pray for him and maybe the sister might go to youth group with him if it would make him more comfortable. Talking to the youth pastor would be a suggestion as well.
Thanks guys. I have tried to explain to her everything in my own little words, like what you all have said. God doesn't "cause" bad things to happen, Satan does, but he lets certain things happen because of the choices we make or because there is always something better to come from it. I don't know the boy too well, only met him a couple times, but just to give you a glimmer of what their house is like...mom is a single mom, dad is in jail for abusing some of the children sexually, none of them really have God in their lives...if they do it's more about the "act" of going to church, not really "knowing" the Lord. The boy is the youngest and last one in the house and there really aren't any rules. He has internet in his room, tv and vcr, no bedtime...there is no structure or rules. All people involved really need prayer. It's an all around sad situation and I hope the family can come to know Jesus through all this!
I think that bad things happen because we are a sinful bunch. We were born with sin and so bad things naturally happen. God gave us a freedom of choice. We have to decide are we going to be good or bad. Are we going to trust Him or not. Our faith in God has to be strong so that when these things do happen we handle them with grace and faith that God will pull us through. Whether it is a miscarriage, I have had 2 doesn't make it easy, divorce, money etc. We know deep down that he will but sometimes what is closer to the skin is doubt and fear. It does not make it easy but I honestly think that is why it happens. Is God testing us? Maybe. I think that good things happen to bad people so that they can see that there is good in this world and that they should turn there lives around. Do they always do that? No, but some do. There are some actors that have totally changed there lives around to serve God. As for a teen saying he is going to commit suicide he needs to talk and vent out his frustrations in a safe environment. That could be a counselor, that is the best option, an adult who is able to talk to him and that he will respect and listen too. Either way it should not be taken lightly. He needs prayer and support from his family and friends.
Prayers, prayers, and more prayers... There's a book by Philip Yancey called "Where Is God When It Hurts?" that may be of help (either to your friend or her brother). It tackles issues like: Is there such a thing as pain? Is pain a message from God? How people resond to suffering? How can we cope with pain? How does faith help? Just an idea.
