“It’s not fair!” Timothy burst into the house after school.
His mother, a little startled, lowered the book she was reading.
“What’s not fair?” she asked.
“Why can’t dad be with us? Our school is having a Father’s Day outing and I’m going to be the
only one without a dad there! Why did God have to allow dad to die?” he shouted, as he slammed his bedroom door.
Mother quickly prayed, “Lord please give me the right words to comfort Timothy with.”
Mother knocked at Timothy’s door, “Sweet heart, would you like to talk?”
“Sure,” he whisper, as he wiped a tear away, “but I don’t see how it’s going to help.”
Mother sat at the end of Timothy’s bed as he buried himself in his pillow.
“I’m so sorry honey. I know it’s hard with dad being gone. It hasn’t been easy for any of us,”
said his mother sympathetically, “but remember God knows how hard it has been for you and He
will help you get through this.”
Timothy peered over his pillow, “Then why doesn’t God bring dad back to us? It seems like God doesn’t even care.”
“Timothy,” mom said gently, “we don’t always understand why God allows difficult circumstances to come our way, but Jesus said he will be with us through those hard times and comfort us.”
Mom thought for a moment, “You really love our new puppy don’t you?”
“Of course I do. He follows me everywhere,” Timothy responded, with a smile.
“If he became sick or was hurt, how would you feel?” mom said.
“I’d feel sad for him and I would do all I could to make him feel better,” Timothy responded.
“Well, that’s exactly what God does for us. He feels compassion for us when we hurt and He comforts us through the love of others,” explained mom.
“I never thought about it like that,” responded Timothy, “If I love my puppy that much, I know God loves me much more than that.”
Mother paused for a moment, “What do you say we ask Uncle David if he would like to go on that outing with you? Would you like that?”
Timothy looked up at his mother with excitement in his eyes, “Do you think he will? I would love that!”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you had to deal with the death of a parent or someone close to you? Did you feel alone?
Did you get mad at God? At some point in our lives, we will face difficult circumstances. Everyone does. We don’t always understand why things happen, but we do know that God is there taking care of us. He knows the pain in our hearts and He will comfort us through the love of others that He has put into our lives.
KEY VERSE: A father of the fatherless…Is God in His holy habitation. Psalm 68:5
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