Suffering

This week’s Brite lesson helps kids understand that Jesus knows what it is like to suffer. As they learn about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, kids are seeing that He chose to suffer for us and understands what it feels like to hurt.

Kids may hear about people suffering in the news, know someone going through something hard or be facing something difficult themselves. They may wonder why God allows painful things to happen. We may not always have an answer, but we can remind them that Jesus understands their sadness, questions and even anger.

This week, if your kid brings up something hard that has happened, take time to listen instead of trying to explain it away. Remind them that they can talk honestly with God about how they feel and that Jesus is with them when life hurts.

Here’s how we discussed this topic and how you can discuss it at home: 

Discuss: Are there people who suffer in our world today? What causes suffering today?

Discuss: Some people say they can’t believe in God because of all of the bad things that happen in the world. How would you respond to that?

Discuss: What does God have to say about suffering?

Say: Because our world is broken by sin, terrible things happen. There is a lot of suffering in our world. You can probably think of examples from the news, from people you know or maybe even from your own family. Even though these things happen, God is still very real and in control. He loves every person. When Jesus was praying in the garden, His soul was troubled because He knew what was about to happen. He knew He would have to suffer on the cross but that God would use that suffering to rescue all of us from sin. He uses our suffering for His perfect plan and He is with us through our hurt. It is okay to tell Him that we don’t understand, we are angry, we are sad or whatever we are feeling. He knows and understands. When we see others suffering, He can use us to help by praying, giving or serving.