Faith
We sat outside in the unseasonably warm December sun. I sat on a folding chair reading Psalm 97 aloud as my kids sat on the stone patio.
“Mommy,” my 8-year-old furrowed her brow. “I have a question.”
“Sure,” I nodded, “what is it babe?”
“I don’t understand how God loves people and then sends them to hell. It just doesn’t seem fair.”
Father God give me wisdom. I thought and then said, “The people God sends to hell don’t accept Jesus’ sacrifice.”
“But it doesn’t seem fair.”
“Do you trust God?” I asked attempting another tatic.
“Yes.”
“Is God right? We just read in the Bible He is righteous.”
“Yes.”
“Is He fair? We just read He is just.”
“Yes, but I don’t think it is fair that He creates people just to destroy them.”
I furrowed my brow. “God tells us that we won’t understand everything He does, but we can trust Him because we know He is right (righteous) and fair (just). That is what faith is for.”
She ran off to play and left me pondering. Questions that I wonder about like:
How are there no tears in heaven when some of our loved ones are condemned to hell?
Does God mourn those He sends to eternal judgement?
Revelation 8:1 speaks of heaven being silent for about half and hour. Is that a moment of silence for those going to eternal judgement?
The questions roll, but God isn’t afraid of our questions. He isn’t concerned when we take our questions to Him. He reminds us that He is trustworthy, loving, gracious. Yes we can trust Him with the things we do not understand. He is righteous. He is just. He is love. He is omniscient. He is.
What questions do you ponder about God and His ways? I’d love to hear from you.
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ahhhh, don’t you just love those questions? Well, you clearly were prepared to support your faith AND pass it on to your precious little one when that tough question came! Way to go Ang!
Thanks Ginger.
I question where is God in my pain? Why does he let things happen? Does He really know how much i can handle and will he really not give me more than i can handle because i think He does really load it on sometimes! And if its not him putting me through these things, then why does he allow it??? Will He let me slip away from Him in my pain, or will He hold on to me and not let me stray to far from Him when i do not have the strength to hold on myself? Will He keep my marriage together through all this pain? How much does He care about what I’m going through? (This comes from a struggling Christian!) Help me God! Where are you????????????????????????????????????????
Oh Stormi, I am praying for you. I wrestled with some of your same questions. There are no easy answers, but here is truth:
1. God never leaves you. Josh 1:5, Matt 28:20, etc.
2. God only allows the shadow of death or pain or grief or loss cross you see Psalm 23. Max Lucado in his book Traveling LIght says it is like either being hit by the shadow of an 18 wheeler or being hit by the actual truck.
3. God is faithful. See Daniel 3. We have to decide that even if He never does what we think we need Him to do that we will NOT bow to anyone or anything else.
4. Consider reading Job, 1&2 Peter, and Colossians. All books about God in the pain of suffering.
I am praying that God will make His presence known to you in such a real way today. I have posted several times about pain and God walking through it. Check out my infertility story. I also did a series on wrestling with God that may be helpful. Praying for you.
I don’t believe God sends anyone to hell. God loves each and every person equally and I know it PAINS Him GREATLY when even one makes the choice to go to hell instead of accepting His Son’s gift of eternal life. You see, I don’t believe that it is God who SENDS anyone to hell – He gave each one of us the same free will. It is up to each person to decide if they want to accept God’s Son, Jesus, as their personal Savior and accept the gift of eternal life or if they want to reject His Son and that gift and go to hell. So, it is the person that makes the choice – not God.
I know it is hard for us to even try to comprehend in our ‘human’ form, but how would Heaven be any different from this earth we live on, if there were tears and pain? As much as we love our friends and family here on earth, it is my humble opinion that once we get to Heaven, we will not remember any of them that chose not to be there with us. I believe it will all be wiped away, along with the tears that He tells us He will wipe away. Otherwise, as you said, how could there be no tears or sadness or pain in Heaven?
I could be totally wrong, but it’s the only explanation I can come up with.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us Angela. Very thought provoking and certainly shows the innocence of children, doesn’t it? Your daughter sounds just precious!
Love ya!
Kathryn, I love your heart sweet girl. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and beliefs.