Key Truth: God is Good.
Goodness.
Now I know this is a big sticking point for many unbelievers and believers from time to time. The number one questions atheists have is how can you believe in a god that lets so much bad happen in the world?
Phew….. It’s such a hard concept for our human brains to comprehend. There are people with a wall full of theological degrees that still struggle to communicate this truth.
Gotquestions.com answered a similar question this way,
'As human beings, we are limited in our understanding of God. He always has and will exist, He is all-knowing, He is everywhere at once, and He is all-powerful. Because we don’t share those qualities with God, we can never understand all about what He is doing. But Romans 8:28 says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” We can’t see the bigger picture of how God is doing that—it’s difficult for us to see any good coming from a wildfire, for example. Sometimes God plainly reveals how He has used a tragedy to bless His people or glorify His name, but other times it seems like we’ll never see how He is working for our good. Just as Job responded with faith in the Lord, we, too, can say, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him” (Job 13:15), and, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). Because we know God is good, we know that He is trustworthy, even when the devastation comes. God gives meaning to every moment, even when we are unaware of that meaning. Some people wonder why God would let bad things happen to good people. Surely no person deserves to lose his or her house in a fire, we say. While God loves us and is merciful, we must remember that none of us are actually “good,” compared to God’s perfection. According to Romans 3:23, we all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. The punishment for sin is death, which is eternal separation from God in hell. The remedy for this separation from God is the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus took the penalty of our sins upon Himself and reconciled us to God (Ephesians 2:16). Faith in Jesus frees us from the punishment for our sins. Romans 3:24 says we “are justified freely by [God’s] grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” If we argue that we are “good” and don’t deserve tragedy, then we are forgetting that we are sinners living in a world affected by the sin of everyone else. We can receive personal forgiveness and salvation, but we remain in an imperfect world full of pain and sadness until Jesus returns (John 16:33; Romans 8:18-25; Titus 2:13).
Remembering that we cannot fully understand what is goodness and why bad things happen, is a battle that must be fought in each and every believer at some point in their walk of faith.
For our kids to have this cornerstone in the foundation of faith is solid ground to continue to grow in their walk with the Lord.
That is why I call God’s goodness one of the Key truths about God our kids need to know.
But knowing God's goodness comes only with experience. Experience our kids lack, so the best thing you can do to show God's goodness is to communicate to your kids how God has been faithful to you. How God has answered your prayers, and given you peace in hard situations. Being honest about your own struggles, how you have experienced God's goodness, makes faith more tangible for our kids.
Being open and honest with your relationship with God, will help your kids not only see the work God is doing in you, but will make having a relationship with God more than just something talked about at church.
Show them God's goodness through you.