Part 6: Mommy, Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?

This is the last post about some of the biggest questions you might have about bad things that happen in our world.

Question 6: What Does Heaven Have to Do with All These Bad Things?

In our previous post, we explored several important promises that God has made to His children. First, we saw that God has promised that He will use all the bad things that happen for our good. And then we saw that God has also promised to be with us in a special way when bad things happen. These are amazing promises! However, there is something even more incredible that you need to think about.

What Eternity Means for Bad Things

Your life on this earth is very short. You might be thinking, "My life is short? That doesn't sound too incredible." But think about it for a minute. Imagine if you lived for 100 years. Wow, 100 years! That’s old! But even 100 years is very, very short when you compare it to a million, billion, or trillion years. You see, after you die, you will live forever and ever and ever and ever. If you have turned from your sin and trusted in Jesus as your Savior, you will live forever with God in the new heaven and new earth. And all of those millions, billions, and trillions of years will be perfect. There will be no more sin, no more sadness, and no more bad things happening. Bad things, sad things, and scary things are a really big deal right now. But one day they won’t be.

Think about it like this - Do you remember the first time you got a shot at the doctor’s office? You probably didn’t understand what was going on. Your parents let the doctor stick a needle in your arm, and it hurt! You might have screamed and cried and wondered why your mom and dad let this bad thing happen to you. Getting that shot was terrible. All you wanted then was for the pain to stop. But did you keep crying forever? Are you still crying about getting that shot now? Of course not! The needle hurt for a little bit. But then you left the doctor’s office and forgot all about it. You don’t even think about it anymore because you’re too busy thinking of all the good things that have happened since then. That shot seemed like a big deal at the time. But, it was just a few painful minutes in your life, compared to the millions of minutes you have spent not getting shots. It is the same way with the new heaven and the new earth. One day, when you are living with God forever and ever and ever, all the bad things that happened during your life will seem so small – like getting a shot years ago.

Yes, many, many bad things happen here on earth. You will never feel good about these bad things, and you shouldn't. But you can trust that God's plan to give us the freedom to choose and to rescue us through Jesus is the best plan. And one day, after the last tear falls, we will be with Jesus and understand perfectly that it was all worth it.

For Further Study: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Romans 8:16-23, Philippians 3:20-21, Revelation 21:1-4

For an adult response to this question, check out Why Does God Allow Evil by Clay Jones.