These questions are from young people at an Intermediate school.

Dear Aunty, Why doesn’t God stop bad things from happening? River 

 Dear River,

People have always wondered why God lets bad things happen. It is a difficult question and we don’t know the answer. Wise people who study the Bible think the most likely answer is because God gifted us free will. When God made people, God didn’t want people to be like robots who only did what they were programmed to do. God wanted people to think and make the right choices for themselves. Letting people make their own choices means they don’t always make the best choices. Making wrong choices leads to bad things happening. God does not cause bad things to happen. The important thing to remember is God is always with us. Praying can help us do what is best and help us feel better.

Keep on praying,

Aunty

Dear Aunty,

Are there any stories about girls in the Bible?

Lois

Dear Lois,

There are far more stories about men and boys in the Bible. This always happened in history and it needs changing. Good on you for noticing! However, there are over 150 females mentioned in the Bible and some of these are girls. Did you know your own name is in the Bible? ‘Lois’ is the name of Timothy’s grandmother. Timothy was a young man who helped Paul tell the good news about Jesus to people in faraway countries. The good influence of his mother and grandmother had helped him become worthy of this job. The most famous girl story is Miriam who watched over her baby brother while he floated in a basket in the Nile River (Exodus 2:1-10). There is another girl who did something very helpful. She isn’t named so gets called ‘the Little Hebrew Maid’ (2 Kings 5:2). She was a servant. When her master got the dreaded skin disease called leprosy, she told him where to find a prophet of God who could heal him. A story I particularly like is about five sisters. If they had brothers they would have inherited their father’s land when he died, but because they didn’t have brothers they would have nowhere to live. They very bravely went to Moses and said they thought this was wrong and the law should be changed. Moses prayed about it and decided they were right, and the law was changed. The story about Mahlah and her sisters is in Numbers 27:1-11 & 36:11-13.

Blessings, Aunty

Dear Aunty,

Do dogs go to heaven?

Wiremu

Dear Wiremu,

The only thing we know about heaven is that it’s beyond human imagination and people keep imagining it. Jesus explained heaven as a place where people love each other. Think of heaven as eternal kindness, love, and happiness. If you love your dog and your dog loves you, your dog will be in your heaven forever. We experience heaven on earth when we are truly happy.

Be happy, Aunty