Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Kids may wonder why God allows hard or painful things to happen. This can be especially confusing for kids as they learn that God is good and loving.

In this week’s Brite lesson, kids learned about people in the Bible who trusted God during difficult times. Faith means trusting God even when we don’t understand what He is doing. Your kid may have experienced something that makes them wonder how to keep trusting God.

As you talk with your kids this week, remind them that it’s okay to ask questions. You can say, “I don’t know why that happened, but I do know that God is good and He loves you.” Reassure them that God is always near, even in hard moments.

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

Discuss: Have you ever heard anyone say that if God was real, He wouldn’t let bad things happen?

Discuss: Why might someone feel that way? How would you answer?

Discuss: What do you think God has to say about that?

Say: It can be very hard to understand how a good God who loves us and is in control of everything would let bad things happen. These are situations that require a lot of faith—trusting in God even though we don’t see how he’s working. We know we live in a world that is broken by sin. God’s design for the world did not include the terrible things that we experience today. But He can use hard times in our lives to fulfill His greater plan. He uses pain to bring us closer to Him and to make us more like Him. Bad things happen to everyone, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t real. It just means that our world is broken. Romans 8:28 says, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. We can believe this verse in faith. Even though we may not be able to see Him, we can trust God is with us during the hard times and He will all things out for good.