Kids asking why God allows evil
My 9-year-old asked after the news. I don't want to lie. Also don't want to scare him. How do you talk about it?
8 Answers
1
Accepted
Age-appropriate honesty: the world is broken by sin, God is good and grieves evil, Jesus entered suffering, He will make things new. Invite more questions. It's ok to say 'I don't know fully.' John 11:35 — Jesus wept. Revelation 21:4 — He will wipe every tear.
2
We used 'Jesus cried too' last night. He nodded like that mattered more than a speech.
2
Avoid tidy karma explanations. Romans 8:22 — creation groans. Kids can handle groan + hope better than fake simplicity.
3
Pray together for victims by name when you know them. Turns fear into intercession.
3
Ask what they heard and what they're afraid of before lecturing. Proverbs 20:5 — counsel in a person's heart is like deep water.
3
Point to the cross: God didn't stay distant from pain (Isaiah 53). Evil is serious enough that it cost the Son.
2
Keep the conversation short and revisit. One news cycle ≠ one theology class. Deuteronomy 6:7 — talk of these things along the way.
-2
Limit doomscrolling in the house. Steward what enters a child's imagination (Philippians 4:8).
to join the discussion.
