Why would an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God allow bad things to happen!!!

Summary:
This is one of the biggest questions that most people just cannot get answered in a way that they can understand.  And yet they don’t see that they do it themselves and see value and purpose in it.  Read the “6-year-old picture story” and come back here. Seriously, go read that linked story now and come back if you have not already.  It is so important that God integrated it into our design so that we could more easily understand what He is doing.  As such, it is also critical to understanding many things on this site.

Key concept:  Like the parent of the 6-year-old, God sees the troubles of this earth as a brief, tough lesson where we learn what happens when we get to run things our own way.  Tough love never feels good at the time, but the wise are better off for it in the long run because of the character it builds in us.  Heaven is where those who learn to trust their loving and wise parent will be experiencing wholesome relationships for eternity.

A little more:
Important observations in the 6-year-old story that apply to why God allows bad things to happen:

• Our time on this earth is a blink-of-an-eye in our eternal existence.
  • Like the 6-year-old, we focus on the “now” (this brief time on earth)
  • Like that parent, God focuses on our full life (now + eternal time in Heaven with others that trust their loving and wise Heavenly Father)
• A wise, loving parent is willing to sometimes allow their child to make decisions with negative consequences if they feel that it will lead to important character growth.
• When a parent allows the child to experience a painful situation, it is in the context of the parent being there to help make it a valuable character lesson — if the child will just listen.

We think of this time on earth as where “everything should be made good”.  God sees this time as brief lesson time that will prepare us for eternity.  If we cut short the character lessons, we don’t mature.  It would be the equivalent to buying the toy for the 6-year-old.  They will feel happy now, but they will not really learn to save.  Not learning the benefits and consequences of saving will likely lead to bigger problems later.  Remember, if the child had trusted their parents guidance earlier, they would have the toy and other benefits of savings.

Understanding what Heaven is like and how this world prepares us for it makes the purpose of this world clear.  Imagine going down the street to sit under the trees by the stream with friends that have learned how to have healthy relationships.  God is preparing us for an eternity in Heaven by teaching us two things (two greatest commandments):

• Trusting a loving and wise parent leads to a better life (God is our eternal parent)
• Seeking the good of others is actually more satisfying than “filling self” and leads to a more satisfying life (better to give than receive)

As with most of the pages on this site, remember to review the verses on the bottom of the page.  Never rely on just what people say – see what God says.

Read FAQ  “6-year-old picture story” (if you have not already)
Read Deeper “The Big Picture” (if you want more details on the short answer above)
Read FAQ “Can I know that I’m going to Heaven?” (understand unconditional love)
Read FAQ “Heaven – Greatly Misunderstood” (way better than here)
Back to FAQs

Bible references:

• Romans 5:3-4  Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…
• James 1:2-4  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
• 1 Peter 4:12  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  (Remainder of paragraph allude to the spiritual/cultural battles that people standing up for God’s values will encounter)
• Heb 12:11  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 
• Matthew 13:24-30 (summarized):  A farmer planted wheat.  While sleeping, an adversary planted tares among the wheat (tares are weeds that look similar to wheat when young).  As the crop started to grow, the workers noticed signs of tares and asked if they should be pulled.  The farmer said no because they might pull wheat also.  He said to let things grow to maturity so that the wheat and tares were obvious.  Then it would be safe to separate and pull the tares.  (A parable where the enemy is Satan and the wheat and tares are people in their response to God.  Our own actions will show if we trust or reject our loving and wise God.  Being undecided is rejecting God.)
• John 5:24  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
• 2 Corinthians 7:9-10  As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 
• John 16:33  I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. 
• Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 
• Jeremiah 1:5 / Romans 9:11 / Psalm 139:13:  God knew us while in the womb and had purpose for us.
• Philippians 1:23-24  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  But to remain here is valuable for you.  (God picked Paul to write many of the letters in the New Testament and to be a missionary to many countries.  Paul saw the value of what he was doing, but knew Heaven was a better place to be.)
• Proverbs 10:17  Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
• Proverbs 13:1  A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 
• Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
• Hebrews 12:5-6  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”