Why do some kids smoke? Do they think it’s cool or something, because it’s not?

I wish I could answer that question. I ask myself the same thing when I see young people smoking. Yes, I do think they are trying to be cool and maybe trying to impress their friends. I can guarantee it might seem cool to them today but it will be something they regret later in life. Perhaps kids just want to “try” smoking because other people smoke. Maybe, nobody has taken the time to warn the kids of the dangers or perhaps the kids don’t care enough about themselves to want what is best for them. It is hard to say why people do some of the things they do. I’m with you though, smoking is NOT cool and it does not look cool.

Did God make bad things or did the devil?

This is a complicated question - good one! Genesis chapter 1 tells us that God created the heavens, the earth and everything in it, and everything God created “was good” (See Genesis Chapter 1 verses 10,12,18,21, 25 & 31).

If everything God created was good then why are there bad things? Well, here's what happeened ... somewhere between the time of creaion and the time of Adam and Eve one of God’s most special angels, Lucifer, decided he wanted to be like God and began to disobey God (sin). As a result God threw Lucifer (who is the devil/Satan) out of heaven. Since that time Satan has been working against God anyway possible; by deceiving, destroying, betraying and disturbing all that he can in his fight against God (Isaiah 12:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-17). It is originally through Satan that sin entered the world, and then Satan deceived Eve and Adam. From that point on the world that God created - that “was good” - was disturbed (Genesis 3). Ultimately, it is because of Satan and sin that there are bad things.

What is the opposite of sin but is not “not sin?”

Okay, first of all I love your question! It actually made me laugh out loud because I was picturing you saying, “Okay, I want to know what the opposite of being cool is and don’t say being uncool!”

But, this is a very awesome and interesting question. Let’s first look at what sin is, okay? If we look at the word sin as a verb (an action), it means to miss the mark, falling short or disobeying God’s laws. If we look at sin as a noun (a thing), it means the state of missing the mark, falling short or disobeying God’s laws.

So, in determining the opposite of sin, I believe the opposite of sin, the verb, is righteousness or holiness. This means that you are walking right with God and being holy, which means you are trying your best to set yourself apart from the ways of the world. We live in a world that says it’s okay to do certain things but God commands us to live His way.

But, here’s the catch: it is impossible to be without sin. Oh, we can try to live righteous lives but we always stumble. Don’t feel bad. EVERYONE does. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There was only ONE person who ever lived a perfect, sinless life and that was Jesus. So don’t be too hard on yourself when you sin.

And here’s why you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself: because the opposite of sin, the noun, is grace. And Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For it is by grace we have been saved, through faith, and this is not from ourselves but it is a gift from God --- not through works so that no man can boast.”

Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Because we are sinners we deserve to die and we don’t deserve eternal life in Heaven with God. But, God’s gift of grace, through faith in Him, overcomes the sin in our lives. He will forgive our sins because Jesus paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross for us. God also offers us mercy, which is not giving us what we do deserve! Isn’t God good? I know He is and He is good all the time!

Are angels naked?

Hmmmm…that is a very interesting question. I think the reason you’re asking this is because when God first created Adam and Eve, they were naked and not ashamed. That is because there was no sin in the world so they really didn’t realize they were naked. Heaven is a place without sin so it stands to reason that people could be naked up there too, right?

Well, I am going to go out on a limb and say that I believe that angels will be wearing what everyone else in Heaven is wearing and that is: a white robe.

So where did I get the idea that people will wear white robes in Heaven? Well…

In Revelation 4:4, it says, “Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.”

In Revelation 6:9-12, it says, “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.”

In Revelation 7:9, it says, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”

In Revelation 10:1, it says, “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.”

In Revelation 15:6, it says, “Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests.”

And, finally, the greatest vision that John the Revelator saw…the second coming of Christ!!! What an incredible picture John paints for us in Revelation 19:11-16 when he describes our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, coming back, not as a lamb but as a warrior! Read how John describes it:

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Whew! Amazing, isn’t it? So, going back to your question…I don’t believe angels are naked for all the reasons stated in the scripture passages listed above.

Why do we feel pain?

Wow. That is a very interesting question because there are really two types of pain, aren’t there? There is physical pain like when you hit your thumb with a hammer or when you fall and scrape your knees. And there is an emotional pain, like when your feelings get hurt or you’re sad because something terrible happened. In both cases, “pain” is a signal that the body has been damaged or something is wrong.

Pain is also a signal that tells us to stop what we’re doing or to take another course of action. So, why do we feel pain?

God could have made it so that you never felt pain. He could have made you indestructible, if he wanted. You could have been just like Superman had God chosen to make you that way. But, He gave you this wonderful body that can experience all sorts of feelings, including pain. If He got rid of the ability to feel things physically then life would really stink! Can you imagine not being able to feel a hug? How about not being able to feel what a furry kitten feels like? Or a bowl of jello? Sandpaper? God wanted you to be able to use all of your senses to be able to enjoy all of His creation.

And, because God loves you, He gave you the ability to feel a whole bunch of different emotions. This includes emotional pain. Whether it’s the pain associated with loss, like a friend moving away, or the pain of not getting a part in the play that you really wanted, God let’s you experience those pains too.

But, here’s the deal: pain also serves a useful purpose. Because, when you start feeling pain, God gives you the ability to either stop what you’re doing that’s causing the pain or taking another course of action. Sometimes that course of action may be remembering to trust in Him and to turn to Him for comfort.

Remember, you are created in His image; in fact, you are fearfully and wonderfully made! But, because you are made in His image, you get many of His attributes…including the ability to feel love, happiness, joy, anger, sorrow and pain.

Why does the truth sometimes hurt?

Wow. That is such a good question. The simple answer is the truth sometimes hurts because it may not be what we want to hear. For example, I asked one of my best friends at the beginning of the year, “Hey, do I look unhealthy to you?” And he was very blunt and said, “Yes.” Ouch! I couldn’t believe it. In my heart I knew he was right but I was hoping for a different answer. But, it was also what I needed to hear. John 8:32 says, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” So, in my case, the truth kinda hurt.

But, you know what? A lie hurts more. A lie also does a lot more damage because it destroys trust. A lie can break up a friendship forever. The Bible says a lot about truth and lies and it is very consistent in its message. In fact, Proverbs 12:22 states it very bluntly, “The Lord detests lying lips; but He delights in men that are truthful.” Psalm 145:18 says it like this: “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

In fact, Jesus, Himself, started many of His sermons with these 5 words, “I tell you the truth…” Jesus spoke only truth to His followers. And, believe me, a lot of Jesus’ truth are so hard to hear! And the reason they are hard to hear is because they are somewhat hurtful. For example, when Jesus tells us that being angry with someone is just as bad as murdering them (Matthew 5:21-22), that’s hard to hear! It hurts me because I know I’ve been angry with someone to the point where I wished something bad would happen to that person. Yikes!

If you’re ever in the position where you have to make a decision as to whether to tell the truth and maybe hurt someone or tell a lie, remember what Jesus says is Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

How old was Jesus when he died?

We have a pretty good idea of the year Jesus was born and the year he died, so we can have a pretty good idea of how old he was when he died. The deal, though, is that people back then weren’t concerned with EXACTLY what time it was, the way we are today. They didn’t have wrist watches; they didn’t have clocks in every room of their homes; they didn’t have paper calendars and computers to keep them accurate. They simply weren’t as concerned with writing down the EXACT times and dates like we would.

But the Bible does give us some information about the date of Jesus’ birth. Read Matthew 2:1.

Also, ancient records exist that show that King Herod died in April of 4 BC. There was certainly some amount of time between Herod’s command to have all the baby boys killed and his death. So how old would that make the infant Jesus in 4 BC? Well, Jesus was probably born within the last three years of Herod’s rule - making his birth somewhere around 6 BC.

Now let’s look at Jesus’ death. Again, while the Bible does not clearly and exactly tell us, evidence does exist in the records of the kings and governors of that period, and this information strongly supports the Bible. From those records, we know that Pontius Pilate was removed from office late in the year 36. Since it was Pilate who order Jesus’ crucifixion, 36 is the latest year we can use to figure our how long he lived.

So if Jesus was born no later than 6 B.C., and was crucified no later than 36 A.D., then the oldest he could have been was about 42 years old.

Now because the dates are not exact, he could have been younger. Many people will argue that he was about 10 years younger than that. Well, maybe. Again, ancient people (and the writers of the Bible) weren’t as concerned about time as we are, and the Bible doesn’t exactly say. It is safe to say that Jesus was between 33 and 42 years old when he was crucified.

How long has God been around?

Yahoo! I love that question because people ask me that question all the time! I could easily give them the standard Biblical answer of, “God has always been here and He has no beginning and no end and He will always be here because He is eternal.” But, I usually get that deer-in-the-headlights look when I say that.

So, here’s my way of trying to explain it in a different way: Imagine being able to go back in time to the days of the pilgrims as they were colonizing this country and trying to explain to them how a helicopter works or how an iPod works. Remember, there’s no such thing as electricity, gas engines, batteries, etc. So, how do you explain how those things work to a society that has never seen stuff like that? You see, we’ve grown up with so much technology that we just accept what is there without really trying to understand how they work. But trying to explain something that we casually accept to someone who’s never experienced it would be very hard.

So now let’s apply that thinking to the concept of our Lord God being eternal. How do you explain what eternity is to people who are stuck in the passage of time? We kind of know what eternity is but we don’t fully understand it. So, what do we do? We do what every person alive does…we try to redefine the incomprehensible into terms we can understand. Basically, we try to simplify the problem! The big problem with that is that people tend to oversimplify things!

God’s eternal power is clearly seen in our world but our brains have a hard time wrapping around the concept of God having the power to create an entire universe. So, we try to explain it in terms we can see and understand. We try and make God like us, forgetting that He’s not like us…we are like Him! We were created in His image! The problem is that that doesn’t even come close to explaining the eternal God.

If you look at a Biblical explanation, the Bible simply says God “is.” Remember Moses? When he asked the Lord God what His name was, do you remember what God said? He said, “Tell them I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) Revelation 1:8 and 4:8 says that God is, God was and God is to come.

So, to answer your question in the simplest of terms, God has been here for all eternity and will be here for all eternity.

How come Adam and Eve didn’t stand up to God?

That is an awesome question! Here’s the deal on that situation. It’s precisely because they knew who God was that they didn’t stand up to Him. Think about it…would you stand up to your own father? Probably not, right?

Well, Adam and Eve both knew exactly who God was and, even more importantly, they knew they had made a mistake. I guess it’s easy to stand up to someone if you know you’re right but, if you know you’re wrong that changes things doesn’t it?

Remember, God created the whole world and everything in it, including Adam and Eve. They knew of His power. God also provided everything they needed to survive too. In fact, God gave Adam the first job in the history of the world…do you know what it is? Take a look at Genesis 2:15, which reads, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

So, let’s review here: God created the Earth, God created Adam and Eve, and God gave Adam a job. They knew of His power, knowledge and abilities.

Then, God had a list of rules. Do you want to know how many rules were on that list? Just one! The only rule God gave was to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Remember, up until this point there was no sin in the world so there really wasn’t a need for rules. BUT, once Adam and Eve took a bite of that apple that came from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, sin entered the world.

Adam and Eve blew it. They made a terrible mistake by giving in to the temptation of the serpent and they knew it. Because of that, they were banished from the Garden of Eden. And, to make sure they didn’t come back in, God placed a cherubim (a winged celestial being) with a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Hmmm…God is able to call upon a winged being with a flaming sword? I wonder what Adam and Eve thought about that. Do you think they were wondering how many more of those guys God had in reserve!

And, finally, to add insult to injury, God cursed both Adam and Eve! He made it so that women from that day forward would have tremendous pain during childbirth. He also made it so that while women would desire their husbands, the men would rule over them. God then cursed Adam and made it so that Adam would have to work very hard and struggle to get things to grow from the ground because God cursed the ground!

Now, knowing how powerful God is and seeing all that God had created, knowing that He had the power to curse you for eternity and also seeing that he had access to “bodyguards” with flaming swords…would you stand up to God? Ummm…I’ll pass on that! And, that’s what Adam and Eve did; they accepted their punishment and lived the rest of their lives struggling, not just physically, but also with the sin that entered the world.

We “inherited” that sin from Adam and Eve. But, we’re lucky because we have Jesus, who took the sins of the entire world and of the generations to come on His own shoulders when He died for us on that cross. He redeemed us. Do you know what that means? Let me give you an example: When your mom or dad has a coupon and they take it to the store and “redeem” it, they get something back for that coupon. It may be a lower price for the item or it may be that you get another item free for buying one. In the case of Jesus, you get eternal life in Heaven because Christ redeemed you with His life. All you have to do is admit your sins and ask for forgiveness, believe that Jesus was who He said He was and that He died on the cross for your sins, and then confess Him as your Savior. It’s as easy as A-B-C…admit, believe and confess!

How can God be everywhere at once?

Great question,! Sometimes it’s so hard to understand God’s awesome abilities and powers. The problem is that us lowly, puny human beings try to create God in our image rather than the other way around!

But, let’s remember one thing…there is only one true God and we need to see Him as He is, which is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful) and omnipresent (being everywhere at the same time).

In answer to your question, God's omnipresence means that He is present everywhere all the time. Look at what the Bible says:

God said through Jeremiah, “Am I only a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” (Jeremiah 23:23,24)

In Psalm 139 David wrote, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.” (Psalm 139:7-12)

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus told us, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Bottom line, there is no place where God is not. God is not only present in all places but God is fully present in every place. I have to admit, this kind of thinking is wayyyy beyond my brain capacity! But we must try to understand that God is able to be "present everywhere" because He is Spirit. He is not confined to a three dimensional existence. God is infinite which means He has no beginning or end. God is not limited by human categories, human experience, or human reason.

But, and here’s the best part: knowing that God is omnipresent not only means that you don't need to feel alone, it means you don’t need to be afraid. No matter what you are facing, you face it with God at your side.

Why does God take loved ones away?

That is very good question! I’ve had people in my family pass away and it’s always a sad thing. You know what, though? It’s okay to be sad about stuff like that. Even Jesus wept when Lazarus died and he saw Mary and Martha crying at his tomb. It really touched His heart. In fact, Jesus has been called, “a man of sorrows.” He knows your sadness when loved ones are taken away. And, He knows your pain and is there to comfort you when that happens.

But, you know what? That’s an unfortunate part of the consequence of the sin that was passed down from Adam and Eve. The truth is that someday all of our bodies will get old and we will die. Even the psalmist wrote that our life is but a vapor here on earth. But, here’s the good news…in fact, it’s GREAT NEWS!!! We have an assurance that, when we believe that Jesus came to this Earth and died on the cross for our sins and we repent those sins, that we have eternal life with Him in Heaven. Isn’t that an awesome and comforting thought?

It’s a hard concept to understand because we see death as being so final. But, it really isn’t. It’s really the beginning of an eternal life with a glorified body (for me that means I won’t need contact lenses in Heaven! Woohoo!!!), in a place where there is no sin, no evil, or no sadness. Heaven is such a beautiful place too! Jesus even described it as “paradise.” If you ever want to get a picture in your mind of what Heaven looks like, read Revelation 21.

I know it’s hard when loved one’s are taken away. But know that Jesus is your comforter and that He will NEVER leave you in your time of need. He loves you too much. And, know also that someday we’ll all join our loved ones in Heaven if we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and repent our sins.

How does God know how many hairs we have on our head?

Excellent question!!! This is from Matthew 10:30 where Jesus is telling His followers about God’s great powers. I think that one of the biggest reasons we can’t understand God’s greatness is because we tend to compare Him to us. Remember, God is not created in our image…we are created in His image!

God is so much greater than us. He is all knowing, ever present, and all powerful. He is the Creator of the Earth and of the universe. He is eternal and has always been here and will always be here. He knows every thought you’ve thought, every thought you’re thinking right now and every thought you’ll think of in the future!

I have a funny saying…maybe you’ve heard me say it in T.R.A.C.K. before…and it goes like this: Has it ever occurred to you that nothing occurs to God? What I mean by that is that nothing ever catches God by surprise. Let’s say you are walking and you trip and fall. Do you think God says, “Wow! I didn’t see that coming.” No; he knew you were going to trip and knew you were going to fall before you did it!

We can’t even imagine God’s awesome abilities. Not only does He know every hair on your head, He also thinks of you more than the number of grains of sand on a beach! And that’s the true greatness of God…His unbelievable love for each and every one of us. His love for you is unconditional too. No matter what you’ve done, God will love you and always be there for you.

Isn’t God amazing??? I pray that, if you haven’t already, that you will accept God’s love and His gift of grace. It’s written in the Holy Bible (God’s love letter to us) in the book of Ephesians, Chapter 2, verse 8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --- and this is not from yourselves but it is a gift from God.”

Does the Holy Spirit stay with you even when you lie?

The simple answer is … yes, you bet! He will not forsake us or abandon us. We may be worried that because of what we do, he will leave us – but God loves us because of who we are, not because of what we do or what we do not do. He will never love us any more or any less than he does right now! It means we can not lie, cheat, steal and do anything bad to drive him away. It also means that no matter what we’ve done, he is always next to us, always available for us.

One other thing is also true, though. God will not bless the wrong things we do. If we lie, we shouldn’t expect God to bless us. On top of that, he may allow us to experience the consequences of the wrong things we do! God loves us and gives us grace so that we may do what’s right and follow his commands, not get away with doing things that he specifically commands us not to do (read Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 6:5-6).

You can have GREAT confidence in our loving God!

Is God really next to you all the time?

Awesome question. Here we go … First of all, God is spirit only. (Read Nicodemus’ “Apple Box” questions in John 3 and Jesus’ response to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:24). There is nothing physical about spirit. You cannot touch, hear, smell, see, or taste spirit. Spirit has no shape, size, and weight, no color, flavor, odor, or texture. This makes God impossible to detect through our senses!

Let’s talk for a second about the space “next to you.” All space (the space right next to you, and all the space in the deepest reaches of the universe) was created by God, and God is not a part of anything that he created (read Genesis 2:1, John 1:3, Hebrews 11:3, and Revelation 4:11).

So now let’s imagine we are traveling through space in a space ship and we’re searching for God somewhere out there in space. Would we find him? The answer is no, right? Would we find him in deep space or in a galaxy far, far away? The answer is also no. Would we find him in space right next to us? The answer is still no. We won’t physically find God because God is not physically in his creation, nor can we physically sense him.

Some world religions believe that God is in everything. This is called “pantheism.” (The word pantheism comes from the original Greek root word “pan,” which means “all,” and “theism,” which means “of God.”) If God is in everything, then he would be in a soda can, and in an automobile engine, and in your hair – and this is not the case. If you comb your hair, you are not running a comb through God! That may seem obvious, but it is very important to understand that God is separate from his creation and he is not a part of that creation.

God is not physically out in deep space somewhere, and God is not physically right next to you. Since God is not physically in space at all, some people say, “Well, he’s in my heart.” Physically, though, he’s not in our hearts either, just like he’s not in your hair. Physically, you cannot put God in any one location. So when we say that we are only looking at the physical answer.

Now, here comes the “Yes, God is next to you” part of the answer. And this is the best part!!

First, knowing that God is entirely spirit (and not knowable by physical senses) will help us understand how God is next to us. Here is the truth about God: Spiritually, God is always at your side; God watches you constantly; God never misses a single thing; and God is always, always with you (read Leviticus 26:2; Deuteronomy 31:8; Job 9:10-11; Psalm 119:151; Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24; Psalm 145:18; Matthew 28:20b; 1 Peter 3:12). This is very, very awesome!

God did not just create you and then leave you alone, and God will not leave you when the going gets tough. God loved you completely and perfectly before you were born, he loved you when you took your first steps, he loved you when you when you first got mad, he loved you every day that you had “a bad hair day!” God was with you all those days, and all the days to come, no matter what! (read Psalm 23:4; Proverbs 3:23-26).

God is spirit and he is absolutely next to you all the time and available for you.

When I pray, does only God hear or does everyone in heaven hear?

Everyone who is in heaven is definitely in a joyful place with God, but God is the only one who can know our hearts. It is God alone who hears our prayers. God may share something great with everyone in heaven, like when heaven celebrates someone who has just given their heart to Jesus, but your prayers go just to God.

You can read about heaven’s happiness in Luke 15. Verse 7 comes at the end of the parable of the lost sheep, and verse 10 comes at the end of the parable of the lost coin. It says, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." So heaven can know about great things that happen, but when you pray to Jesus, that prayer is just for Jesus.

Is non-Christian music written by the devil?

You asked, “In 2nd grade my teacher said that any music that isn’t Christian is written by the devil. Is that true?”

Now the Bible does not talk specifically about non-Christian music, but it does give us a few guidelines.

Philippians 4:8 is a great example – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”

Questions to ask yourself when listening to non-Christian music: Are the lyrics of the song true? Does it have pure message? Is it praiseworthy? God wants us to be wise with what we put in our mind. If any song promotes and encourages some sinful actions (like swearing or violence), then I would encourage you to not listen to it. I think we have to use wisdom and caution when listening to music. Right now I am thinking of great symphony masterpieces that had no lyrics, just beautiful, powerful music. Is that evil? Is that a sin? Did the devil write that? No! I am going to disagree with your second grade teacher. The sad thing is that many of music’s great masterpieces were condemned by religious people when they were first introduced.

Your heart is between you and God. Be wise! Your question is very good, and – honestly – the answer is not easy. The Bible doesn’t specifically speak about it, so we should be guided by what the Bible does say, like in Philippians 4:8. I hope this answer helps you.

Why do people die if God is good?

I will do my best to answer this question for you. Honestly, this is a very tough question AND the answer is also tough! You may want to ask me some more questions later, and you can, OK?

Death is one of those things that is really bad, isn’t it? At least it seems that way to us, doesn’t it? Even though we know that death takes us to be with God forever, to a place where we can know God better and better, it still scares us. It scares us because its unknown. Death is one big unknown.

From God’s perspective, though, it’s a little different. It’s actually a time when we go to be with God forever! God welcomes us! It’s still tough, though, isn’t it? This is especially true when the death of someone is a surprise to us – like when a child dies of cancer, or a parent or someone from school dies in an accident.

Even the fact that EVERYONE dies doesn’t make it any easier, does it? It is actually a part of God’s design that we all die sometime. So why does God chose one person on one day, and somebody else many years later, and it always seems to hurt those who are left behind? You and I will not get to know the answer to that question. Sorry, but only God knows!

I can think of a dad and mom who’s child died, and they can’t understand why it happened? How could God have taken their child to heaven so soon? It hurt them very much, but they learned to trust that God still loved them, that God still cared for them, and that God had not abandoned them … but it HURT! Sadness and pain like that happen everyday to people. Right now all of God’s creation is hurting. That’s the bad news – death and pain and suffering will continue. We can trust God, though. And the good news is that things are going to get better! God has a plan. Check out Romans 8:28, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”

The good news is that we can trust God. Even though we can not know why God chooses who He chooses, or even when or why He chooses, we can know that we are loved by Him!

I hope this answer helps you understand this very difficult question a little better.