The tough questions
>Trethewey Life Story. from David Tate on Vimeo.
There’s a girl in our youth program who, last week, told us about her friend who had leukemia. During the night, one of our leaders prayed for the girl and her family… for courage, strength, healing, etc.
Well, we found out a day or so ago that the girl with leukemia died on Monday. Sad. And this is when the questions began to come out. Some of the kids who knew the girl were wondering why their friend still died even though we prayed for them and their healing. They could not comprehend why someone close to them would go through something like that nor why “God would let them die.”
Tonight is the first night that we are meeting as a group since it happened, and we know that this something we are going to have to address with everyone. While it’s hard to deal with death under any circumstance, the hastened death of a teenager to such a terrible disease, topped with these deep, theological questions is particularly difficult. At the same time, it provides the opportunity to really show the kids the realities of life and the God who doesn’t promise to take you out of every hard time but who says that he will be with you as you go through them.
I am both looking and not looking forward to the conversation at the same time.
And coincidentally, I found that my friend David, at the same time, has posted the above video on Vimeo, dealing with very similar circumstances.
These are questions we all have to deal with at some point or another in life. They are not easy questions, but they can help build us up and process the grief and confusion, ultimately helping to bring healing and understanding.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18 (NLT)
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Very timely. My husband’s friend was killed in a car accident yesterday, and he was only 23. I think you hit the nail on the head when you wrote God “doesn’t promise to take you out of every hard time but who says that he will be with you as you go through them.” I’ll be praying for this girl’s family and friends, and I hope you can pray for this young man’s family and friends as well.
God bless…