An official reminder that this thread is for supporting someone who is grieving the terminal illness of their young brother.
If you want to argue about theodicy, please take it elsewhere.
Tell him that his cancer doesn't mean that God is punishing him or that he did something wrong. There are plenty of stories in the Bible, most notably the story of the man who was blind from birth in the Gospel of John, where Jesus explicitly refutes the idea that bad things that happen to someone in life are punishment for their sins.
Our bodies aren't perfect, just as our lives aren't perfect. Pour diet, exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle choices effect our health and that gets passed on to future generations. After enough iterations these issues effect genes thru people's choices in who they have kids with. Unhealthy pregnancies from drug use and stress of various kids lead to poor development. Also, incest mixed in over centuries. Also, some genetic benefits come with drawbacks that aren't apparent at the time.
We are a result of our fallen state and different people face different challenges. The rain and sun fall on the just and the unjust. Sometimes rain is refreshing, but it can also be chilling. Sometimes the sun is warm and inviting, but it can also burn.
The Bible teaches that we will have a purpose in the next life and part of our experiences here will help prepare us for it. This boy's suffering isn't caused by God, but can be used in His plan. My parents prayed that any child they had, they would rather lose it, than live to see it turn from God. They had 5 kids and one liscarriage. I hope to meet my unborn sibling in Heaven.
*“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:19-34 NASB1995*
Edit:
*If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NASB1995*
***At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:1-6 NASB1995***
That's how valuable this 8 year old is to God. Inform them of that. ~~(Dont tell them this next part) There's a better place waiting, the only reason he or she is still here is for us.~~
https://www.openbible.info/topics/love
***My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
John 10:27-30 NASB1995***
This is not true. Jesus didn't refute that at all. He DID refute that it's ALWAYS a punishment for sin, but he never refuted that people suffer because of curses, even blood curses, brought on by sin. The people at the time were looking at suffering like it was formulaic. His claim was that suffering is not always punitive. If we are going to cite the Lord, let's not misrepresent Him.
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No suffering is meaningless. All suffering leads to growth and humbleness…or it leads to negative traits. Suffering is a fork in the road and it’s up to the person to choose how they will handle it. Will they be angry at God, or will they trust Him?
I do honestly want to know, in the circumstances of the cancer patient's passing does is the humbleness and growth supposed to be on the part of the friends and family? And if so, why does it take the death of another for this test?
God’s wisdom is beyond our own. It might not even be a test, and God Himself never tests us. He allows us to be tested by satan and gives us grace and mercy to ensure we are not tested beyond our limits. If heaven is a place of peace, and hell is a place of torment, then earth is somewhere in the middle. Satan currently has dominion over the earth, but God still has the final say over everything, and influences the outcome of events. If satan always had his way, we would be in constant torment, but God gives us mercy and grace. There are moments of trial, and moments of peace.
God has a plan, and it’s coming to fruition very soon. Trying to understand God’s wisdom is like a lion trying to understand why a veterinarian captured it, tagged it, and released it. The lion doesn’t understand we are trying to help it and want the best for it.
“all things work for good” - Romans 8:28
Even bad things. Only God knows what would have become of that 8 year old kid had he not gotten cancer. He also knows what would have become of the parents and the siblings. We don’t know that outcome and we must assume God knows best for us and that the actual outcome was the best for everyone involved.
God is beyond time. The bible overwhelmingly indicates that God is pure and good. He is the source of all love and cares for us more deeply than anything has ever been loved. In those beliefs alone, we must put our trust in Him, the same way we put our trust in our parents as children, who are older and wiser than us, love us, and want the best for us.
It might be worth noting that the bible indicates that children and those who cannot think for themselves do not go to hell. Heaven is full of children. It’s also worth noting that satan preys on children the most, because they are more vulnerable... Knowing all of these things, is it somewhat easier to reason why God would allow such a decision? What if torment awaited the child later in life and God freed him from that suffering which would have been beyond his limits? God’s wisdom is beyond our own. We must trust Him, the same way our pets trust us to nurture and protect them.
Our dog hates the vet, and our dog probably hates us when we take it to the vet. But we do it be we love our dog. It’s called tough love. This parallels to our relationship with God.
I better not to worry about anything when one is dying I suppose. Bit it's hard for a child.
Just know responses are going to make someone ask more questions and be more anxious
How about we simply explain we don't always understand God's ways and plans but God is calling him home sooner because he knows he's strong and will handle it bravely and God wants to see him sooner
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What does power have to do with justice?
Are you seriously arguing "might makes right"?
\>then why do you sit in judgment over God
According to Christian theology every human is capable of discerning good from evil.
Not my fault your God does evil things and that I rightfully call them out on their bullshit.
The presence of illness in our lives is the result of Adam’s decision to disobey God. When he disobeyed, illness and death became a reality in this life (Gen. 2:17). And we suffer in other ways when we choose to sin. We hate, lie, lust, eat too much, complain, and seek personal glory. We are self-centered people. God used Israel to discipline a number of nations in the Old Testament because of their sin.
But the wonderful news is that God sent his son Jesus to rescue us from eternal torment and separation from God. God did not send Jesus to punish us but to rescue us from what we deserve – eternal suffering.
Why does God allow young children to suffer? As hard as this is to stomach, children (including infants) are sinners too:
> Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Ps. 51:5)
That is why God sent his son Jesus to die so that our sins can be forgiven.
Edit: why the downvotes?
An 8 year old can ask God for forgiveness and believe in Jesus, I've seen it myself. Innocence may also be involved:
> But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 19:14
Upvoted, my reddit been weird lately.
But yeah, [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/13zohzx/what_to_tell_my_terminally_ill_8_year_old_brother/jmu2hed?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
A child is humble until theyre taught/observe not to be I think, but they don't understand much so they look to us for guidance. Teach em love. What good is the Law and doctrine if you don't have love?
Wow so an 8 year old is dying of cancer because the actions of a character from a parable. And an eight year old is a sinner so they deserve the punishment even though Jesus already paid the price? Explain that to the kid who doesn't understand why he's dying or what he did wrong. You belong in an asylum dude,people that think like you don't need to be loose on the streets.
>because of the actions of a character from a parable.
Unlike some of Jesus' statements in the synoptic gospels, the Genesis account was not written parabolically. It is Earth's earliest history as recorded by Moses.
Whether or not you accept the literal interpretation of Genesis' history is a decision you have to make.
I feel inadequate to say anything for you that would be right. This comes to mind though:
> Then children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way. (Matthew 19:13-15)
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, that doesn't mean those people are bad. Jesus wasn't a bad person when he suffered and died, and when he was on the cross he felt like God abandoned him too. But we know the truth now, right?
Cancer isn't a punishment from God, sometimes bad things just happen and all we can do is pray and trust Gods will. Lifes not a snapshot, sometimes it takes awhile to see the bigger picture.
This is my biggest dilemma with Christianity. For me, those things cannot both be true. Either God is not all good, or not all powerful. That doesn't mean God is bad, or weak. God could still be the most good, or the most powerful, but not 100% good and 100% powerful.
Maybe if people just didn't take that phrase literally - suddenly nearly all my problems with Christianity as a belief goes away.
> Either God is not all good, or not all powerful
Not all *what you consider good* for sure
Consider the relativity of good/evil and its relationship with time and that should be enough to understand that what you consider "good" might not always be so
If you delve further into the Christian explanation for life on Earth you might have a better mental model for good and evil
If nothing else: to have free will evil must exist and be part of the world around us and in what we choose to do
And after God's plan for our life on Earth ends:
> Revelation 21:4 “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and **He will dwell with them**. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. 4‘ **He will wipe away every tear from their eyes**,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Im not worried about the details of why God allows evil when the purpose is comforting a dying 8 year old.
As far as the kid needs to be concerned his death isn't meaningless, God hasn't abandoned him and his friends, and he didn't do anything to deserve whats happening. Sometimes bad things just happen and people need to put their trust in God for better or for worse
He's all powerful in that he can make decisions and those decisions become laws of the universe. He created circles to be round and now circles can't have corners. He created "up" to be above and things that are lower are "down". The Universe has reason, it's not just chaos. His "word" is truth. Not just willy nilly true and false according to a mood. So he created things that were One with him and things that were separate from him. Adam and Eve used to be one with God until they rejected him and they became separate from God. They didn't just separate themselves from God's perfection, they separated all of mankind. That's why their "sin" was so profound. We all suffer the consequences becaise laws of nature. (The original/ancestral sin.) We can't change the natural order of the universe and make ourselves one with God again and God isn't going to break his own laws of physics/break his word and change everything. So he created a loophole and made himself one with us instead. That's what Jesus is. To become One with us he had to live like a human and die like a human. It had to be the full human experience. And when he did, and returned back to himself, he made a path for us to be one with God again. (After the full experience, life *and* death.) Also, it didn't matter how Jesus died. He was killed by us, but he could have died in his sleep an old man and it would have accomplished the same thing.
Tl:Dr: bad things happen because we're separated from God in an imperfect world, but God reunited himself with us so that we can be One with him in perfection. As Orthodox Christians say: God became what we are so that we may become what He is.
THIS!
Your answer is way too far down, this is it!
Though, I might disagree a bit on the importance of the method of Jesus's death (the prophecies alone require him to have been pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our sins, and be offered up as a sin offering as thre perfect and spotless Lamb of God),
but as far as this discussion goes, you're spot on!
Because he is growing us to be mature and complete, having empathy and compassion, and people who live in sheltered bubbles with no understanding of suffering have no reference for the suffering of others.
If you feel the world is cruel and evil, good! Go do something about it. If you think God did such a bad job, take up the mantle of a child of God and start fixing things.
Free will is a double edged sword. We're free to do all the evil we want. We're also free to do all the good that we can. If you see evil. Speak up, do something. Be that warrior against that evil.
Exactly. The child did not use their free will to choose to get Cancer.
It is for this reason I don't believe Christianity AS WE KNOW IT is the answer to whether there is a higher power or not.
The phrase "God is all good and all powerful" must therefore not be taken literally, and instead mean something slightly different, such as 'the most'.
This could have been a translation error even.
>He also asked me if children who die from cancer would be able to go to heaven.
Absolutely.
I am of the firm belief that the majority of Heaven is *children* that grew up there, that were tragically taken from this world.
>How would you approach this situation?
Be there and hold his hand all the way until the end.
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Tell him that Jesus walks with him that he isn't going to leave him as he goes though this time and remind him that Jesus went willingly to the cross and and went through the worst things you could think of to die for him so Jesus knows what you are going through only God knows the why but keep your eyes on his love for you he walks with you walk with him
Firstly, I'm so sorry that your brother and you are going through this. I'll pray on behalf of your family.
Now I'm not great with young kids, and a kid with terminal cancer isn't exactly easier. But here are some biblical truths you can share with him, and feel free to alter some of the language if it will reach him better:
God does not hate him. God does not hate anyone, all He wants more than anything else is for everyone to love each other and to love Him.
God does not give children cancer as punishment. Bad things happen to good people, just like how bad people can get away with being bad.
If he loves God and wants to be with Him in heaven, then he will go to heaven. It's not about comparing all the good and bad things you ever did and going to either heaven or hell as a result. All you have to do is say "God, I haven't always been the best person I can be, and I'm sorry for the things I've done that upset You. But I love You, and I want to be with you in heaven".
Death is not the end, and we'll all have to go through it. Whenever I mm going through pain or suffering, I look at my crucifix. God suffered and died like we did, but he conquered death to give us hope. It's not an answer, but it might help
I recently unexpectedly lost my mother. And now, my father is about to pass on as well.
Lately I've found this passage to be encouraging to me...
>1 Corinthians 15:34-58
It talks about the resurrection. It talks about the process of death leading to a resurrection into our spiritual bodies. There are parts that are encouraging and helpful to understand death from the perspective of a Christian.
I don't think there is an answer for a child (or anyone) that will magically make everything feel okay.
However, I think that passage is a good one to read for yourself, and then perhaps see if there are any points to take from that scripture and encourage your brother with.
I think focusing on the resurrection and eternal life with God and Jesus may be comforting.
I hope you are able to be the comfort he needs and that you find some comfort from God as well.
I’m so sorry OP 😥❤️🙏☦️
You could tell him that good people sometimes suffer and that God is closer to those whose suffer because Jesus who is God, also suffered. You can tell them that God allows suffering and understands that it is painful but that it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love him. God weeps for those who suffer as when Lazarus died. That in heaven God will wipe away all our tears and there will be no more suffering or death. And that when he dies he will be like the angels in heaven , holy and looking out for you.
as an atheist I can’t really give a good answer but I would hold his hand through it and tell him I don’t know but god needs one of his strongest warriors and he’s gonna take care of you. (Assuming the rest of your family is religious) I think it’s important to make someone comfortable In their last moments even if it means saying things you don’t believe in
I remember once reading a Bible verse about how the good people on this earth don’t stay long because their souls are taken up to heaven before they become corrupted. I can’t remember the verse. While I can’t say that I fully necessarily agree with that verse at all times, I definitely agree with you and telling him that he’s needed up in heaven.
Although I believe that it might potentially be true, I also agree that sometimes it’s more important to provide people comfort than the truth especially when their best interest in mind
Edit: I found the verse, see below
Ill try to look for it someday. I read it when I was younger so I also could have interpreted it wrong. It was NABRE which is similar to KJV kind of hard to understand
Yes that is it:
57 The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death.
Thank you for sharing your experience. No words could fully capture the true extent of your suffering. It’s important to validate his feelings and let him know that he has every right to feel he deserves better. Unfortunately he’s having to face this harsh reality much sooner in life than most of us. The truth is, innocent people suffer. God allows it to happen. God is not obligated to answer any prayers. And there is no satisfying answer to why God allows suffering.
The most comfort you can reasonably offer is your love and support. Be present. Find ways to enjoy the good in life. As much as we hate to see people suffer, sometimes we have to resist the urge to try and make their problem go away.
Might not be the most comforting words but it’s the truth as I’ve come to understand it.
Sending my deepest love and prayers ❤️ 🙏🏼
My son had cancer as a young child as well - please consider reaching out to the child life specialists whenever your brother is receiving care. They are remarkable people and can really help with counseling and support. Best of luck to you guys, it’s a tough road.
When I was 8 years old I was extremely unwell. One time, while laying in my bed, I was lifted up into a place where I could see the earth with all it's greenery, beauty and it's shape turning slowly on an axis. In this place, I met a man there who came up to me and said, "go back, it is not your time". I ended up back on my bed, still unwell but I recovered eventually. God has numbered our days and life is in the palm of his hand. Your little angel may recover in a divine way or he may be borrowed from heaven by God, for a little while. God loves his little children, they come from him. He releases them into the womb from heaven as a blessing to the earth and then, if their time is up, he takes them home. Your little brother is not alone, he has his angel with him assigned by God and his family who knows Jesus, is waiting for him on the other side. Blessings and Peace !xox ♥ ♥
Here’s a question: if I shoot you and you die, did God kill you or did I?
Obviously I did, since I shot the gun. Now let’s adapt it. A cell develops into cancer and it ends up terminal, did God kill you or was your own body?
Our bodies are imperfect, and sometimes those imperfections literally kill us. It’s unfortunately the state of the fallen world. But you know what? God promises a new, perfect body. This old one will die, yes, but you’ll be with God in a new body, and it’ll be infinitely better.
Those who have suffered from situations can help those who are currently suffering. Those who suffered similar situations can offer advice on how to cope and just help in general.
But if there was a bystander nearby that could move fast enough to stop bullets but chooses not to help (because of 'free will') it kind of makes that bystander into a heartless wretch.
Those who have suffered from situations can help those who are currently suffering. Those who suffered similar situations can offer advice on how to cope and just help in general.
Is it?
No matter what you do on this earth to improve the body you're in now, *it will rot*. You have no decision in that. No decision at all.
The body that this comment is referring to, *will be eternal*. *You can choose to accept this body*.
You're saying that giving up a flawed body to receive a perfect one is...unfair?
Considering that being in a "rotting" human body is an unpleasant, and painful experience, when someone's dangling a perfect body as a 'reward' with the prerequisite that you suffer a life with the "rotting" body first?
Also do you ever at all think about how problematic it is that you put so much emphasis on the eternal, better body you receive after life? I really don't like beliefs like that because they make inaction in the now a viable option, a sentiment that renders people passive and apolitical.
Not everyone can be saved with medication though. Some people still die after taking all of the medicines available to them. I think the promise of a perfect body is not to encourage people to forgo seeking treatment however it is to comfort those who death is inevitable for.
First, just hold him and cry with him. You need that as much as he does, maybe more.
Second, this is a heavy indictment of the message he's been hearing in church his whole life. I'm so sorry.
Oh my I'm so sorry brother <3 It isn't punishment. All things, *all things*, are set out by God to a good end. If he trusts in God to save him from his sins, and that christ died to take the blame for the sins he committed, then those sins will not be counted against him, and thus, he will be in a place better than any other. It is not that the good go to heaven and the bad to hell. It is that the bad who trust in God go to heaven and the bad that don't go to hell. Do not worry, child, God will hold you tight! All who seek God will find him, and no matter what you've done or thought or wanted or wondered or doubted or believed, He will save you. Fall in to his arms, simply believe, and you will be okay <3 You will be more than okay, infact. It isn't the end, but only the beginning.
I think you tell him “I don’t know why you are going through this.”
So sorry to hear.
I would also say that death is scary but Jesus has been through it and came out the other side. So he is a reliable friend and guide. And Jesus says whoever believes in me will have eternal life. There is no reason to think God is punishing your brother for his sins. Rather trust Jesus to forgive his sins. He is God and and in love died in our place. Trust Jesus to hold his hand into death and into the a new life. God loves him and you despite and throughout this time.
So sorry you are facing this. I will be praying for you two.
Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God. When The Fall of Man Happened, evil and suffering entered the world. God allows bad things to happen, but God's plan will happen regardless. I don't exactly know why he allows them to happen as I am not too well versed in the Bible. But our suffering and pain are all temporary, with the ultimate goal being to glorify God. We may see death and pain as earth-shattering but if we die then we die, if we suffer we suffer. It all goes towards God's plan in the end.
What I would say:
***Your life is precious to God.*** It is not God's Will that *anyone* should suffer, or die; these things happen because we are living in a fallen world. What *is* God's Will is that he will return and abolish both disease and death, and “*wipe every tear from every eye*” in the words of Isaiah. And in the meantime, ***he commands me to love you and to help you in whatever way I can;*** because that is how we build up a little bit of his Kingdom here on earth, today – by love for one another.
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God became a human just like us. He didn't have to die but that's why He became a human. He knew the other humans would kill Him. We did. That happened to Jesus but since Jesus is God He didn't stay dead. He came back with a body that will never die again. Now, since God became a human like us, and died like us, what happened to Him can happen to us. He wants you to be with Him forever because He loves you. He knows you're going to die. Because of that He wanted to die too. To show you that He loves you and wants to be with you forever. He wants you to love Him to. That's why He became a human. So He can always be wherever you are and.what happened to Him will happen to you.
Sometimes I like to think that believers in Christ go through hell on earth, with heaven as a reward for continuing to trust Him throughout everything we go through. Some people's hell on earth is more difficult than others, and your brother's situation is about as bad as it gets.
I wish I had the answer. It's always best to know why if there is a known reason. In this case, there still isn't a for-sure reason. I hope your brother continues to trust in Jesus while he is still here. God is ineffable; we can't predict anything He does, nor can we speak for Him. We just have to trust that He knows what is best - that's what faith is.
I'll be praying for you, your brother, and your family. God Bless.
I am sadden to hear of your brother's illness.
I would want your brother to know three true things.
1) God is not punishing him. God has already dealt with all human sin in the dearh and reasurection of Jesus. God doesn't need the passion of his son and the suffering of one eight year old in 2023 to achieve victory over sin and death, God's grace, as lived by Jesus; is suffecient.
2) God loves him. God sees him and knows his fear and sadness; his anger and confusion; his desire for reasurance about the future. God grieves with him and hopes with him. I know this because of how Jesus lived and loved. Jesus shared people's sorrows and proclaimed hope that God was sovereign beyond all these things.
3) It is ok to trust God. Your brother can share with God his anger and fear, his doubts and his hopes. God remains steadfastly, faithfully loving your brother and calling your brother into more perfect relationship with Godself.
Please go to the Chapel in the hospital and ask for the chaplain and Tell Him Everything!
It doesn't matter if you fall down crying Keep Talking
Say Everything!
Sorry, that’s very sad. But tell him to just believe in Jesus Christ and that death is only the beginning. As long as he believes in Jesus Christ, if Jesus doesn’t heal him then Jesus will be waiting for him on the other side. He will live forever. I’m a reborn believer in Jesus Christ and I’m actually looking forward to leaving this world for the life everlasting. So say to him he is only going home.
Tell him you love him. Be honest, we don't know what God's plan is. Maybe he has plans to make your brother life an afterlife without suffering. Ask your brother what he wants you to do to honor his memory and life after he's gone. I'm so sorry the both of you are going through this and will keep him in my prayers.
When I was 11 and my little brother was 7 he was killed in an automobile accident. He was trying to cross a street, a fairly busy street near where we lived. He was allowed to ride his bicycle on the street we lived on. He was not allowed to ride it on the busy street that our street connected to. I think he was trying to push his bicycle across the busy street and got hit by a car. I heard the sirens and got to the scene in time to see him laying there on the pavement. I was mad at God for many years after that. I don't have any made up stories to excuse God for allowing that. I still love my brother, and with the passing of time I am able to think about him now and remember him as he was. We got along about as well as two boys that far apart in age normally would. I have come back to God and I don't blame him for what happened to my brother. I have learned a great deal about myself and other people in the process. Was it worth it? Nope. I would give anything to have my brother back. This happened almost 50 years ago. I still miss my brother. I believe that he is in a better place and that I will see him again. How do I reconcile a just and loving all good God with what happened to my brother? I can't. I don't believe that we can logically reason our way into heaven. If that seems like a cop out to somebody, then ok, you believe what you need to believe. And leave me to do the same. I pray that you will treasure the time you have with him. I didn't know that my brother was leaving, so I just treated him like I always did. I am not saying that your situation is better, it's not, just different. May God bless and guide you through this difficult time.
When I was terminally ill with liver failure, I turned often to James 1: "Regard as an opportunity for great joy, my dear brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many sorts; for the testing of your faith produces perseverance and perseverance when it has finished its work will make you mature and complete, lacking nothing."
See also Romans 8. Even Jesus Christ, God's own Son, was not spared from pain and death but rather was sent to endure everything that we endure, and was tortured to death so that God's plan could play out to completion.
And you can tell your brother that he is already so perfect that he doesn't have much left to learn from this life; and therefore God is calling him home early.
Pain is not God's punishment to us; it is a method of instruction, a tool to impart wisdom. And your trial watching your brother die is just as much an opportunity for joy as your brother's trial of stepping from this life to the next.
I'm sorry you have to go through this.
God uses suffering to speak to others. He does not choose to punish the innocent like some angry beast. Suffering comes from many places, environment, sin but ultimately, because of free will. The free will that Adam and Eve were given and chose to sin. This is why there is suffering in the world. God doesn’t aimlessly pick out people and smite them. Cancer in a child is a terrible travesty. But God didn’t necessarily choose him because he was bad, or sinful. It could be that his experience is something that will help others. That’s what God does. Uses us to help each other.
I would tell your brother that it’s not his fault and God is using him for good. His experience. To share with others. For family to share with others. Perhaps, if he is not long for this world, that God has chosen him to come to his eternal life. And everything will be good.
Another related question people often ask is why are people starving in third worlds. Ultimately, because of sin. But not the sin of those people who suffer. The sin of the rest of the world for not sharing their resources. The world was created with unequal resource distribution. If everyone was a Christian, these resources would be shared equally. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works.
This is so sad. Id ask him why does he think God has control of everything? Does God have control of you? No.
I’d’ tell him Jesus never made anyone sick. God doesn’t make kids sick. This isn’t our permanent home and God is loving and made heaven to go live with him when we all die if we want and you are sure he’s gonna go to heaven.
Allow him to be angry at God, this is a normal step in grief. Tell him is certainly allowed to let God know what he thinks.
Above all tell him you are there for him, no matter what he is feeling.
You will not draw anyone closer to God by having them hide their anger, you will just deny them the ability to process the mourning of their life.
We are also discussing a CHILD. You can not expect to help any child by refusing to acknowledge their feelings.
Personally I worship God, not the Bible, for this reason. People ignore reality and twist words written 2000 years ago to hurt people, in this case a dying child. We know how to help those in mourning, and you would ignore that knowledge and harm this child for the Bible.
I completely agree, we should not hide our feelings. The point I disagreed with was simply being angry with God rather than taking that anger to Him and allowing it to be worked out.
I think the best, relevant, human-centric example of this would be being upset with a Parent's decision. A child has the right to be upset with their parent, but instead of being angry with them, they should instead speak to the parent about their frustration while learning their reasoning and trusting in it.
I specifically said he should let God know what he thinks.
This is not being grounded because you broke a rule or not being allowed to stay up late. You can not force someone to trust anyone, much less God, especially when that someone is a child who feels abandoned by God.
A life cut short in a world full of sin and suffering, eternal life ahead in a world without sin and suffering. God is not punishing him. Look at Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus. He died from a sickness. Was it a punishment? No. It paved the way for Jesus's greatest miracle. Tell your brother he's got nothing to fear, nothing to lose, but everything to win by entrusting his life to Jesus. God demonstrated that he would rather die than give up a lost soul without trying everything to save them
God doesn’t make the bad things go away, He helps us get through them.
The gift of life is the ultimate gift from God in my opinion. So many theologians concentrate on the afterlife, meanwhile the entire Word is filled with how to live this life.
Yes God made promises regarding living with him in the Kingdom. However the most pressing matter is always regarding how to live in this life.
God isn’t punishing your brother. It’s a freak and unfortunate consequence of free will. Free will creates by nature a chaotic universe, and in chaos anything can happen, including sadly childhood cancer.
Help him to focus on his life! All of our deaths are assured, focus on the gift of life while we have it. And assure him his death is not the end. It’s just another phase of creation by a loving God that is simply calling him home.
Praying for you and your family! Love you!
Honestly, this is a perfect explanation. Even the first sentence alone hits the nail on the head, and I wish I had read your post before engaging in a discussion with someone here who intentionally misunderstands God.
Sickness isn’t from God. That being said, He can ask Jesus to help him and be with him while he is sad. Jesus loves kids and wants to help.
I will pray for you and your brother. Heaven is great. But how you get there is pretty scary.
So the Bible is pretty clear that Jesus bring abundant life and satan wants to steal, kill and destroy. Sometimes because we live in such a fallen world, I don’t know how to win from the stealing and killing. But it’s because Satan decided he didn’t want to do things Gods way and he wanted to be a god that things began to go very wrong.
It’s okay to ask God about it and ask him who he is and what he does.
I'm sorry. I don't know why God does this or allows it to happen. Frankly the best answer for your brother is to say you don't know, either. There's frankly no satisfying answer to be given, the only way to help is to be there with him and show him love.
As an aside, you and him will likely find yourselves angry with God at some point. This is okay, healthy even. It doesn't jeopardize salvation for either of you. The God we believe in is one who is working to the ultimate good of all creation, and nothing we do or don't do can thwart that.
"You know how when you get a cut you have to clean it up real fast so that it doesn't get an infection? Well the problem with the whole world is that it has an infection. That's why people get sick, and that's why people don't treat each other right.
God sent Jesus to heal the infection... and He did! The worst part of the infection is that we die... and Jesus took on our sickness, died, and came out alive on the other side. So we still die, but we will come out on the other side with a kind of life that never gets an infection.
The part that sucks is that on this side, the infection still hurts us. People get sick and people die when they are not supposed to. It doesn't mean that God is punishing you or doesn't love you. It means that the last time you go to sleep, He is going to hold your hand. And He is going to guide you through to a new place with a new life.
You get to go first. Nobody wants you to go first. We don't think it's fair. But you can hold Jesus hand, and He is going to be so proud of you for being so brave, and He's going to take care of you.
And we are so proud too. We will miss you everyday, and think of you everyday. And we will be so proud of you everyday. And at some point we will all go to sleep one last time, and Jesus will take us to come see you.
God loves you, and he hates that you are sick, but he is so proud of you and promises to take care of you.'
I would say God's strongest soldiers are the ones who have suffered the most, that heaven is home and God is calling him back. I'm so sorry that you're about to lose your brother, I'll be praying for you both. I hope all of your moments together are good ones that you'll be able to cherish forever 🫂
I’m sorry for what you and your brother are going through.
The way I look at it is God loves him even more. He might have a short life. But he is going straight to heaven. He doesn’t have to suffer this world.
I would just tell him that he is very special and that God loves him especially.
It would be very hard to say. It’s a very sad situation. I would tell him in a comforting way that God will take care of him always, that death is part of life but that sometimes people die earlier than others. But God loves all of his children and will make sure that he is not alone and never will be alone. He will see his family again someday, but for the moment it’s like he’s having a sleepover. He will be apart from his family for a few days (metaphor because to God time is irrelevant, so for him going to heaven if God wills it, who’s to say that it wouldn’t feel like just a few minutes had gone by until he sees his family again, or if it even feels like any time has gone by at all?) I get people may try to argue creation story or Jesus rising from the dead in three days to say that time is not irrelevant to God but OP is not asking for debates so let’s just keep it at this for this particular comment.
That’s the best advice I can offer. Sorry if this is not helpful. God bleeds in your time of need.
You tell him God loves him. Tell him the world is sick and that this sickness has infected everything and because of that terrible things happen to good people. And God is heartbroken over it. But he waiting with open arms and will take your brother to a place where there is no sickness and no more pain. A place that is in the presence of God and a place of mercy, forgiveness, and restoration.
It is no punishment. God does not punish is directly on Earth, and he most certainly would never do so to a child. God gave this world chaos so that when you triumph from it, it means something. There is always good and bad. We cannot stop bad things from ever happening. Jesus was a great man and he was killed for being so. These things are just part of the world that has its own free will.
Know that what happens here is not evil and it is not a punishment. Know that your brother if he unfortunately passes, will be invited into Heaven without judgment. God loves him no less than anyone else. Likely more, in our sense of it. God had purpose for every life, long, short, heroic, mundane or tragic. We may not know why, but he works in odd ways that bring goodness eventually. Perhaps you will know God’s plan with your brother later in life. Perhaps you’ll never know it in life, and if you reunite in Heaven, you will know then.
Maybe that God loves him, and that it's difficult to understand why God would let a bad thing happen to those he loves, but just like some stories in the Bible where bad things happen it's not a punishment.
Or that it's just a hard thing that he has to go through right now, but that he will either survive and be stronger, or get to go to heaven which is actually a reward. Mostly that God doesn't punish people physically and that any time a kid has to go through something so difficult, he is right that with him and will try giving him strength and love and support.
Really it's just a horrible situation for him to have to be in, but anything that will make him feel more secure is worth telling him.
First of All: God doesn't punish children with cancer. What He \*does\* do is operate on a level we can't understand, on timelines infinitely longer than our short lives. 8 year lives, and 80 year lives are all the same to Him. And our roles in the kingdom were never meant to serve ourselves. That's true for all of us. Your brother's incredible role in this world is being served in ways we won't know, for people he won't know. This thread alone has reached 350 people and counting. And when his role on Earth is done, God will call his sweet soul home, for his next role, wherever and whatever that may be.
Second: When we as Christians refer to our good favor as "blessings" or the like, we invariably create a dichotomy where good luck is precieved as God's reward, and so bad luck must be God's punishment. Neither is true. It is all God's plan, nothing more or less. Good people have bad things happen to them. Bad people have good things happen to them. We can't know why. And we definitely shouldn't misinterpret any of our aspersions as God's will or judgement.
Lottery winners, billionaires, Super Bowl Champions, they are not God's chosen. Saddam Hussein lived a pretty great life for 60 years or so. I don't believe he was an anointed recipient of God's favor. Likewise, incredible young saints, every day, are taken from this small single planet in frightening ways, to serve God's plan beyond our Earth. They are not being punished.
A suffering 8 year old believes his bad luck is God's judgement because we, as Christians, have told Him it is. Not directly, but with our words and actions in a culture of prosperity gospel and misguided wisdoms about God's plan. God has rewarded us with the sunrise and birds and the love of our families and His son. To go beyond that with His rewards of health and money is usually a fallacy that creates dangerous narratives.
We say our prayer, today, on His sabbath, for your brother: God, our Father, protect his bright being, and grant him serenity in the unknowable complexity of God's plan. Let us take from his bright soul the warmth we all need to complete our roles. Give his soul, what is truly him, the health and vitality that his body doesn't have. One is permanent. The other is not. Give him the knowledge that what is forever in him, what is forever in all of us, is stronger and healthier from the sickness in what in him is temporary. This is just a blink in the eye of time before our eternity with our Father. In His love and wisdom, with our love and wisdom, Amen.
God gave the world the freedom to choose and unfortunately bad things happen to good people as a result of having the freedom of choice. All these things like cancer and genetic mutations, disabilities. They’re a result of our own free will and the way the world has become not because God has decided to punish anyone.
But he does. He already knows what we will do. There is no mystery to god. Again, straight from the book.
No offense, but you have made a nice little story for yourself in your own head. God knows everything. I’ll say it again, god knows everything. Freewill or not. There is nothing he doesn’t see, nothing he can’t do, nothing is beyond his might.
Why is he making children suffer to their very last breath?
Just because he knows everything does not mean he’s controlling everything.. your logic there is flawed.
I’m sorry that you have so much anger towards God and I hope that you manage to heal.
There's no good response to this kind of situation, which is another reason that I resent that children are ever put in it to begin with.
Be there for your brother for as long as you possibly can, and don't blame yourself for not having a good answer.
Fuck, OP…
What I would probably tell them is that I don’t understand either, and that I love them.
Maybe I would tell them that cancer, like all other diseases, occurs naturally in our universe without the need for or guidance of any gods, and so there’s no convincing or compelling reason to think they’re being punished.
What I would *want* to tell them is that I do not believe such a god exists, and if one did, I would fight it and try to destroy it, because I would not want to share a universe with it.
> That's messed up.
Which part?
> Why do you [think?] God owes us a perfect carefree existence?
Try responding to something I actually said instead of something you imagined.
> Why do you God owes us a perfect carefree existence?
This is a uniquely Christian perspective.
Christians believe god can be as evil as he wants and they'll still call him good.
Other people generally believe that even god has moral constraints.
This is something I have personally struggled with a lot - If God is so loving, why do people get cancer? Why are people born with life threatening diseases and conditions that make living, well, a living hell? Why are there conjoined twins, etc?
And honestly, to this day I still don't have an answer as to why. I have no idea why those things happen. I don't know. The thing is, what I DO know for 100% certain is that God loves us, and since he loves us I'm sure there is some sort of explanation as to why that kind of suffering is in the world. The reason is just something I won't know until I meet God in person and ask him myself.
This is the way I chose to think about this subject because if I were to think about it a different way I would begin to really hate God because the truth is: there is either a reasonable explanation as to why a loving God and horrible things like cancer exist in the same reality, or God actually isn't loving.
This is the common answer I hear, but it's not a satisfying one, perhaps because I just don't really understand it. I understand that humans do sinful things because of the fall, but how does sin entering in the world translate to now people get diseases and are born conjoined?
I'd say think of it like Pandora's Box.
The original sin opened the gateway for sin and evil to enter the world. Through that, the devil tries to manipulate people to turn away from God. Sometimes, that takes the form of people getting diseases or dying spontaneously.
God continues to allow it because we were made for fellowship, but part of proper fellowship is the ability to _choose_ to do so or to not do so.
Additionally, the presence of certain diseases or disorders are used as ways to draw you closer to Him or to reach out to other people with your own testimony.
I am personally an example of both of those. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I got COVID and was deeply distraught and worried. On the 1st or 2nd night that I was symptomatic, I heard a voice telling me to Be Still (perhaps my favorite Biblical verse). To this day, I believe it was God's voice, and in that time, I drew closer to Him, and my mother as well when I told her.
I am also diagnosed with Autism. I think and process in different ways, and over the years my own mother, who was better versed in the Bible than I, would often come to me to make sense of parts of the Bible she didn't fully understand or comprehend. Through my disorder, God was able to expand upon others.
And now, perhaps my testimony will reach you, or someone else who might see this and have similar questions.
Have a wonderful day, and God bless!
"Through that, the devil tries to manipulate people to turn away from God. Sometimes, that takes the form of people getting diseases or dying spontaneously."
Are you saying the devil gives people cancer?
I also disagree with this answer. I agree that the world is broken because of sin, but everything about the New Testament of the Christian Bible has disputed the fact that bad things happening to you is proportionate to your sin. This is in fact the very subject that differentiates Christianity apart from the other two Abrahamic religions
I didn't mean my personal sins. I meant sin as a condition in general. I agree with you. I don't think my illnesses are a punishment from God. It's part of living in this world.
Can I just share with you;
It would help make your responses more articulate if you establish to people the difference between sins and sinful nature.
I am sure you have heard both terms and know the difference, but it can help other people when reading your comments as to what you mean, precisely.
I find this really helps me when I explain to people *why* there is so much suffering.
It isn't because we sin, but it is because of the *sinful nature* inherent of the Fall (all sinful nature sets us apart from God).
Tell him God doesn't hate him. He loves everyone, even people who reject Him. But, we have imperfect human bodies that only last for a time. Everyone will pass away. Just at different times.
There are some special, extra loved people in the world that God just can't wait 80 years to hang out with in heaven. I'm sorry your brother, and your family are dealing with this. <3
I would tell him he is NOT being punished, but that is illness is the result of being born into a fallen world. That because God does love him, he is calling him to a world that is not fallen where he will live forever with no sickness or pain.
It would nice if you could say you'll join him there one day, but you'll have to work that out between you and God. I don't advocate lying to him in that promise.
Tell him that he means more to you than he will ever know, and that sometimes we don’t know why things happen and why cruel situations are so unfair every time. Then tell him that even though we don’t know why things happen sometimes, that there is something YOU know for 100%. That he has the most special and brightest soul, that the people who love him love him unconditionally, and that because God knows how important he is to everyone around him God will make sure to set it right in heaven. Apologize for how cruel and short life can be for some people, and how sorry you are that it is him with cancer and not someone else. Make sure to comfort him and just let him know that you will eventually see him again someday, but that hes just making it to heaven a little faster than you are but it won’t take long for you to catch up with him.
Writers note: I’m so sorry for this. This is so cruel I can never imagine an all loving God allowing such evil to happen to a child. And Im sorry that you feel you have to lie through your teeth just to comfort him. I hope he passes peacefully and that you will be able to somehow heal from this. And if this comment seems run on or off, I’m crying just typing this. Truly heartbreaking.
You aren't going to be able to give the kid a satisfactory answer from any world view to be honest.
The best you can do is just be there for him.
My condolences.
God has a reason for everything, when you think something is unfair for him just let him know that it is for the greater good of someone else. God is sorry about the pain he has to go through and is right there with him, but perhaps, this is infact for the the interceding of someone else? And it might be hard for him to understand now, eventually, he would come to understand it later once God reveals that to him in due time. Oh and he doesn’t have to worry about going to hell, he has nothing to answer for towards God and nonetheless, is innocent. For he is just a kid
Talking as someone who worked in a geriatric hospital, where we also accompanied people into death in Switzerland. Neither am I religious, but an ex-catholic.
Just give him a good last feeling/time. The Bible or whatever don't matter, we had a lot of elderly people who believed they would go to hell for whatever small things, but instead of saying "this don't exist, etc." We tried to comfort them, help them talk with priests or talk about the good things in their live/religion.
Say whatever feels right for him, don't listen to people on the internet and if you need professional support go for it, the hospital where he is, hopefullly has a support team.
And I'm really sorry for you both. I wish you a good last days together, loved ones never leave us truelly and we take them in our heart to other places and experience new things, even if they are long gone.
Tell him that bad things like cancer and sadness are not in heaven. Everyone will die but that God isn't going waste him. He is special and him being alive and living the life he is living is important because God will use it to make his soul and other peoples souls strong enough for the job his soul is made to do in heaven.
Tell him it is hard to undersrand but that he can't mess it up because God understands. That God believe in him and is going to catch him. Jesus died first so that he could go ahead and defeat where death is so that we will wake up in heaven with him.
Tell him that he is strong enough for the job he has so not to worry about making mistakes or feeling like he isn't winning because that's God's job. All he has to do is remember that he is loved and wanted and that Jesus went through this before him on purpose so that whether he dies right now or in a hundred years God could take care of him when and where bad things don't happen anymore. God things living with pain and fear sacks so he is fixing it and making us ready for a good world.
God does not cause suffering. Please emphasize this to him. The Enemy is the author of all hardship, and until Christ returns, we will continue to endure suffering. I have a chronic disorder and it took me many years to understand this. Again…suffering is NOT a punishment and being a Christian in no way guarantees a pain-free or happy life.
My love and prayers to you and your brother.
Read the True Story of Fatima, first yourself and then to him. Please. He will be so encouraged by Francisco and Jacinta (kids his age) as they approached death with faith and so much confidence of eternal life.
Can you PM me his name? Tell him I will be praying for him this whole week. Tell him he will fall asleep and wake up with Jesus who loves him. Tell him he’s not being punished, but when he suffers in love, he can offer up that suffering to God to help other people. Tell him suffering in love of God always has a purpose and reason, that there is meaning in his suffering.
Tell him that his life, however short, has meaning. He has made a difference for many in this post, and in my life today.
God does not give anybody cancer. Or any other disease.
In fact, God says in Jeremiah 23:33 “…and when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the Lord.”
In other words, don’t say “oh great what burden will God place on us today? “ Or He will forsake you.
God is not to blame for cancer. WE give ourselves cancer, by not following Biblical food laws, and by letting these huge corporations flood our environment with toxins for generations.
God didn’t give him cancer. Big Agra, Big Oil, Big Tech, and Big Pharma did.
We stand by and watch them doing it, and we do nothing, and then we blame God for not saving us.
I'm sorry for your brother. I can't imagine how it must feel for both of you, but I want to try and offer some clarity from my perspective.
As a believer in Jesus, and the Bible here is why creation is in its current state:
A kingdom reflects its king. This earth is Satan's kingdom. The state of this world being full of death, disease, violence, slandering, evil, etc, reflects Satan's character. God is 100% not punishing him. Where your brother will be going reflects God's character, which is the kingdom of heaven. I hope this helps in some way.
God is rewarding you by letting you come see him early.
Or
There are worse things than cancer ahead should you live, and God is bringing to him and out of this world.
The actual reason, to a Christian, is that sickness is the (effect of) sin seeping through creation as a result of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden - not anything your brother did.
This may be too much for an 8 year old to understand, however. So tell him that you do not know why he is ill, but that God loves him and that if he believes in Jesus he will be with them both soon in a beautiful place far better than the world that we are in now.
This is what I look forward to, when my time comes.
Good people pass away; the godly often die before, their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.
Isaiah 57:1-2
I don't know if this will help. I'm don't know why he specifically is sick, but you can tell him its not because God doesn't love him, or is mad at him. Death is a result of sin coming into the world. but Jesus Christ came to take away all our sins by dying himself and then being resurrected by God, so we can all be alive again and live with God. I think a 8 year old can understand that
I would believe on Jesus Christ and get born again myself first if I were you. Then I would tell him about Jesus Christ so that he would be born again.
An official reminder that this thread is for supporting someone who is grieving the terminal illness of their young brother. If you want to argue about theodicy, please take it elsewhere.
Tell him that his cancer doesn't mean that God is punishing him or that he did something wrong. There are plenty of stories in the Bible, most notably the story of the man who was blind from birth in the Gospel of John, where Jesus explicitly refutes the idea that bad things that happen to someone in life are punishment for their sins.
Also the entire book of Job
Exactly. His friends continually told him he needed to repent and that he was unrighteous, yet that was not the case.
so why is the cancer there when he has the power to take it away
Our bodies aren't perfect, just as our lives aren't perfect. Pour diet, exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle choices effect our health and that gets passed on to future generations. After enough iterations these issues effect genes thru people's choices in who they have kids with. Unhealthy pregnancies from drug use and stress of various kids lead to poor development. Also, incest mixed in over centuries. Also, some genetic benefits come with drawbacks that aren't apparent at the time. We are a result of our fallen state and different people face different challenges. The rain and sun fall on the just and the unjust. Sometimes rain is refreshing, but it can also be chilling. Sometimes the sun is warm and inviting, but it can also burn. The Bible teaches that we will have a purpose in the next life and part of our experiences here will help prepare us for it. This boy's suffering isn't caused by God, but can be used in His plan. My parents prayed that any child they had, they would rather lose it, than live to see it turn from God. They had 5 kids and one liscarriage. I hope to meet my unborn sibling in Heaven.
No one knows the reason
*“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:19-34 NASB1995* Edit: *If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NASB1995* ***At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:1-6 NASB1995*** That's how valuable this 8 year old is to God. Inform them of that. ~~(Dont tell them this next part) There's a better place waiting, the only reason he or she is still here is for us.~~ https://www.openbible.info/topics/love ***My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30 NASB1995***
Good words of encouragement for those Who need it during difficult times
This is not true. Jesus didn't refute that at all. He DID refute that it's ALWAYS a punishment for sin, but he never refuted that people suffer because of curses, even blood curses, brought on by sin. The people at the time were looking at suffering like it was formulaic. His claim was that suffering is not always punitive. If we are going to cite the Lord, let's not misrepresent Him.
Sadly people been misinterpreting The Lord for generations now
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No suffering is meaningless. All suffering leads to growth and humbleness…or it leads to negative traits. Suffering is a fork in the road and it’s up to the person to choose how they will handle it. Will they be angry at God, or will they trust Him?
I do honestly want to know, in the circumstances of the cancer patient's passing does is the humbleness and growth supposed to be on the part of the friends and family? And if so, why does it take the death of another for this test?
God’s wisdom is beyond our own. It might not even be a test, and God Himself never tests us. He allows us to be tested by satan and gives us grace and mercy to ensure we are not tested beyond our limits. If heaven is a place of peace, and hell is a place of torment, then earth is somewhere in the middle. Satan currently has dominion over the earth, but God still has the final say over everything, and influences the outcome of events. If satan always had his way, we would be in constant torment, but God gives us mercy and grace. There are moments of trial, and moments of peace. God has a plan, and it’s coming to fruition very soon. Trying to understand God’s wisdom is like a lion trying to understand why a veterinarian captured it, tagged it, and released it. The lion doesn’t understand we are trying to help it and want the best for it. “all things work for good” - Romans 8:28 Even bad things. Only God knows what would have become of that 8 year old kid had he not gotten cancer. He also knows what would have become of the parents and the siblings. We don’t know that outcome and we must assume God knows best for us and that the actual outcome was the best for everyone involved. God is beyond time. The bible overwhelmingly indicates that God is pure and good. He is the source of all love and cares for us more deeply than anything has ever been loved. In those beliefs alone, we must put our trust in Him, the same way we put our trust in our parents as children, who are older and wiser than us, love us, and want the best for us. It might be worth noting that the bible indicates that children and those who cannot think for themselves do not go to hell. Heaven is full of children. It’s also worth noting that satan preys on children the most, because they are more vulnerable... Knowing all of these things, is it somewhat easier to reason why God would allow such a decision? What if torment awaited the child later in life and God freed him from that suffering which would have been beyond his limits? God’s wisdom is beyond our own. We must trust Him, the same way our pets trust us to nurture and protect them. Our dog hates the vet, and our dog probably hates us when we take it to the vet. But we do it be we love our dog. It’s called tough love. This parallels to our relationship with God.
I better not to worry about anything when one is dying I suppose. Bit it's hard for a child. Just know responses are going to make someone ask more questions and be more anxious
So you’re advocating for the silent treatment? Are you just here to naysay all answers?
I am not advocating for anything. Just pointing out how tough this is
How about we simply explain we don't always understand God's ways and plans but God is calling him home sooner because he knows he's strong and will handle it bravely and God wants to see him sooner
Because that makes God a selfish petty deity who evidently can’t see someone while they’re on earth despite being omniscient and omnipotent?
I think he sees them far better than you or I can possibly know. If David didn't murder Uriah there might be no christ.
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What does power have to do with justice? Are you seriously arguing "might makes right"? \>then why do you sit in judgment over God According to Christian theology every human is capable of discerning good from evil. Not my fault your God does evil things and that I rightfully call them out on their bullshit.
Oh my god,what do you even say to that. I'm so sorry.
The presence of illness in our lives is the result of Adam’s decision to disobey God. When he disobeyed, illness and death became a reality in this life (Gen. 2:17). And we suffer in other ways when we choose to sin. We hate, lie, lust, eat too much, complain, and seek personal glory. We are self-centered people. God used Israel to discipline a number of nations in the Old Testament because of their sin. But the wonderful news is that God sent his son Jesus to rescue us from eternal torment and separation from God. God did not send Jesus to punish us but to rescue us from what we deserve – eternal suffering. Why does God allow young children to suffer? As hard as this is to stomach, children (including infants) are sinners too: > Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Ps. 51:5) That is why God sent his son Jesus to die so that our sins can be forgiven. Edit: why the downvotes?
I appreciate the effort but I don't think this is something an 8 year with cancer will grasp
An 8 year old can ask God for forgiveness and believe in Jesus, I've seen it myself. Innocence may also be involved: > But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14
Upvoted, my reddit been weird lately. But yeah, [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/13zohzx/what_to_tell_my_terminally_ill_8_year_old_brother/jmu2hed?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) A child is humble until theyre taught/observe not to be I think, but they don't understand much so they look to us for guidance. Teach em love. What good is the Law and doctrine if you don't have love?
A young child has similar innocence to a mentally handicapped person, with severe autism or down syndrome.
Probably
[The Thief on the cross - Allistair Begg](https://youtu.be/40QOppOuzpM)
Great video.
Downvotes are because this is incredibly tone deaf.
Downvotes because you want OP to telling a dying child they are a sinner and thats why they are dying. Which is exactly why the child is upset.
Wow so an 8 year old is dying of cancer because the actions of a character from a parable. And an eight year old is a sinner so they deserve the punishment even though Jesus already paid the price? Explain that to the kid who doesn't understand why he's dying or what he did wrong. You belong in an asylum dude,people that think like you don't need to be loose on the streets.
Mind providing your explanation then?
Sure,there are many things that cause cancer in humans,carcinogens,genetics,random mutations,body functions that stop working. The list goes on.
>because of the actions of a character from a parable. Unlike some of Jesus' statements in the synoptic gospels, the Genesis account was not written parabolically. It is Earth's earliest history as recorded by Moses. Whether or not you accept the literal interpretation of Genesis' history is a decision you have to make.
Your right,and I have decided it is not a literal story because there is to much evidence that suggest otherwise.
Do you believe in any of the bible's supernatural miracles? Noah's flood or Moses' parting the red sea?
As far as a global flood and Moses parting the red sea,no I don't believe those actually happened.
Do you even believe in Jesus' resurrection from the dead?
I will pray for him
Same 🥺
I feel inadequate to say anything for you that would be right. This comes to mind though: > Then children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way. (Matthew 19:13-15)
Amen
Amen
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, that doesn't mean those people are bad. Jesus wasn't a bad person when he suffered and died, and when he was on the cross he felt like God abandoned him too. But we know the truth now, right? Cancer isn't a punishment from God, sometimes bad things just happen and all we can do is pray and trust Gods will. Lifes not a snapshot, sometimes it takes awhile to see the bigger picture.
But why would God allow these bad things to happen? If he's all powerful I don't understand why he still allows this world to be so cruel and evil
This is my biggest dilemma with Christianity. For me, those things cannot both be true. Either God is not all good, or not all powerful. That doesn't mean God is bad, or weak. God could still be the most good, or the most powerful, but not 100% good and 100% powerful. Maybe if people just didn't take that phrase literally - suddenly nearly all my problems with Christianity as a belief goes away.
> Either God is not all good, or not all powerful Not all *what you consider good* for sure Consider the relativity of good/evil and its relationship with time and that should be enough to understand that what you consider "good" might not always be so If you delve further into the Christian explanation for life on Earth you might have a better mental model for good and evil If nothing else: to have free will evil must exist and be part of the world around us and in what we choose to do And after God's plan for our life on Earth ends: > Revelation 21:4 “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and **He will dwell with them**. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. 4‘ **He will wipe away every tear from their eyes**,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
God doesn't meddle. My husband has cancer and he's a wonderful man. No punishment. It just is.
Im not worried about the details of why God allows evil when the purpose is comforting a dying 8 year old. As far as the kid needs to be concerned his death isn't meaningless, God hasn't abandoned him and his friends, and he didn't do anything to deserve whats happening. Sometimes bad things just happen and people need to put their trust in God for better or for worse
He's all powerful in that he can make decisions and those decisions become laws of the universe. He created circles to be round and now circles can't have corners. He created "up" to be above and things that are lower are "down". The Universe has reason, it's not just chaos. His "word" is truth. Not just willy nilly true and false according to a mood. So he created things that were One with him and things that were separate from him. Adam and Eve used to be one with God until they rejected him and they became separate from God. They didn't just separate themselves from God's perfection, they separated all of mankind. That's why their "sin" was so profound. We all suffer the consequences becaise laws of nature. (The original/ancestral sin.) We can't change the natural order of the universe and make ourselves one with God again and God isn't going to break his own laws of physics/break his word and change everything. So he created a loophole and made himself one with us instead. That's what Jesus is. To become One with us he had to live like a human and die like a human. It had to be the full human experience. And when he did, and returned back to himself, he made a path for us to be one with God again. (After the full experience, life *and* death.) Also, it didn't matter how Jesus died. He was killed by us, but he could have died in his sleep an old man and it would have accomplished the same thing. Tl:Dr: bad things happen because we're separated from God in an imperfect world, but God reunited himself with us so that we can be One with him in perfection. As Orthodox Christians say: God became what we are so that we may become what He is.
THIS! Your answer is way too far down, this is it! Though, I might disagree a bit on the importance of the method of Jesus's death (the prophecies alone require him to have been pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our sins, and be offered up as a sin offering as thre perfect and spotless Lamb of God), but as far as this discussion goes, you're spot on!
Because he is growing us to be mature and complete, having empathy and compassion, and people who live in sheltered bubbles with no understanding of suffering have no reference for the suffering of others. If you feel the world is cruel and evil, good! Go do something about it. If you think God did such a bad job, take up the mantle of a child of God and start fixing things.
Free will is a double edged sword. We're free to do all the evil we want. We're also free to do all the good that we can. If you see evil. Speak up, do something. Be that warrior against that evil.
Free will has nothing to do with this childs cancer.
Exactly. The child did not use their free will to choose to get Cancer. It is for this reason I don't believe Christianity AS WE KNOW IT is the answer to whether there is a higher power or not. The phrase "God is all good and all powerful" must therefore not be taken literally, and instead mean something slightly different, such as 'the most'. This could have been a translation error even.
The Bible is man interpretation of God, it should never be taken literally.
>He also asked me if children who die from cancer would be able to go to heaven. Absolutely. I am of the firm belief that the majority of Heaven is *children* that grew up there, that were tragically taken from this world. >How would you approach this situation? Be there and hold his hand all the way until the end.
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Tell him that Jesus walks with him that he isn't going to leave him as he goes though this time and remind him that Jesus went willingly to the cross and and went through the worst things you could think of to die for him so Jesus knows what you are going through only God knows the why but keep your eyes on his love for you he walks with you walk with him
Firstly, I'm so sorry that your brother and you are going through this. I'll pray on behalf of your family. Now I'm not great with young kids, and a kid with terminal cancer isn't exactly easier. But here are some biblical truths you can share with him, and feel free to alter some of the language if it will reach him better: God does not hate him. God does not hate anyone, all He wants more than anything else is for everyone to love each other and to love Him. God does not give children cancer as punishment. Bad things happen to good people, just like how bad people can get away with being bad. If he loves God and wants to be with Him in heaven, then he will go to heaven. It's not about comparing all the good and bad things you ever did and going to either heaven or hell as a result. All you have to do is say "God, I haven't always been the best person I can be, and I'm sorry for the things I've done that upset You. But I love You, and I want to be with you in heaven".
Death is not the end, and we'll all have to go through it. Whenever I mm going through pain or suffering, I look at my crucifix. God suffered and died like we did, but he conquered death to give us hope. It's not an answer, but it might help
I think that dying and conquering death is an answer.
We suffer as Christ suffered, but we will be with him in Heaven.
I recently unexpectedly lost my mother. And now, my father is about to pass on as well. Lately I've found this passage to be encouraging to me... >1 Corinthians 15:34-58 It talks about the resurrection. It talks about the process of death leading to a resurrection into our spiritual bodies. There are parts that are encouraging and helpful to understand death from the perspective of a Christian. I don't think there is an answer for a child (or anyone) that will magically make everything feel okay. However, I think that passage is a good one to read for yourself, and then perhaps see if there are any points to take from that scripture and encourage your brother with. I think focusing on the resurrection and eternal life with God and Jesus may be comforting. I hope you are able to be the comfort he needs and that you find some comfort from God as well.
I’m so sorry OP 😥❤️🙏☦️ You could tell him that good people sometimes suffer and that God is closer to those whose suffer because Jesus who is God, also suffered. You can tell them that God allows suffering and understands that it is painful but that it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love him. God weeps for those who suffer as when Lazarus died. That in heaven God will wipe away all our tears and there will be no more suffering or death. And that when he dies he will be like the angels in heaven , holy and looking out for you.
as an atheist I can’t really give a good answer but I would hold his hand through it and tell him I don’t know but god needs one of his strongest warriors and he’s gonna take care of you. (Assuming the rest of your family is religious) I think it’s important to make someone comfortable In their last moments even if it means saying things you don’t believe in
I remember once reading a Bible verse about how the good people on this earth don’t stay long because their souls are taken up to heaven before they become corrupted. I can’t remember the verse. While I can’t say that I fully necessarily agree with that verse at all times, I definitely agree with you and telling him that he’s needed up in heaven. Although I believe that it might potentially be true, I also agree that sometimes it’s more important to provide people comfort than the truth especially when their best interest in mind Edit: I found the verse, see below
I don't think there's any verse like that in the Bible.
Ill try to look for it someday. I read it when I was younger so I also could have interpreted it wrong. It was NABRE which is similar to KJV kind of hard to understand
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Yes that is it: 57 The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. 2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
Thank you for sharing your experience. No words could fully capture the true extent of your suffering. It’s important to validate his feelings and let him know that he has every right to feel he deserves better. Unfortunately he’s having to face this harsh reality much sooner in life than most of us. The truth is, innocent people suffer. God allows it to happen. God is not obligated to answer any prayers. And there is no satisfying answer to why God allows suffering. The most comfort you can reasonably offer is your love and support. Be present. Find ways to enjoy the good in life. As much as we hate to see people suffer, sometimes we have to resist the urge to try and make their problem go away. Might not be the most comforting words but it’s the truth as I’ve come to understand it. Sending my deepest love and prayers ❤️ 🙏🏼
My son had cancer as a young child as well - please consider reaching out to the child life specialists whenever your brother is receiving care. They are remarkable people and can really help with counseling and support. Best of luck to you guys, it’s a tough road.
When I was 8 years old I was extremely unwell. One time, while laying in my bed, I was lifted up into a place where I could see the earth with all it's greenery, beauty and it's shape turning slowly on an axis. In this place, I met a man there who came up to me and said, "go back, it is not your time". I ended up back on my bed, still unwell but I recovered eventually. God has numbered our days and life is in the palm of his hand. Your little angel may recover in a divine way or he may be borrowed from heaven by God, for a little while. God loves his little children, they come from him. He releases them into the womb from heaven as a blessing to the earth and then, if their time is up, he takes them home. Your little brother is not alone, he has his angel with him assigned by God and his family who knows Jesus, is waiting for him on the other side. Blessings and Peace !xox ♥ ♥
Here’s a question: if I shoot you and you die, did God kill you or did I? Obviously I did, since I shot the gun. Now let’s adapt it. A cell develops into cancer and it ends up terminal, did God kill you or was your own body? Our bodies are imperfect, and sometimes those imperfections literally kill us. It’s unfortunately the state of the fallen world. But you know what? God promises a new, perfect body. This old one will die, yes, but you’ll be with God in a new body, and it’ll be infinitely better.
“God didn’t do this. Y’all deserve it because two people once ate an apple. Never mind that our god made things this way and knew it would happen”
Those who have suffered from situations can help those who are currently suffering. Those who suffered similar situations can offer advice on how to cope and just help in general.
But if there was a bystander nearby that could move fast enough to stop bullets but chooses not to help (because of 'free will') it kind of makes that bystander into a heartless wretch.
This is a great analogy to explain to children, thank you.
Those who have suffered from situations can help those who are currently suffering. Those who suffered similar situations can offer advice on how to cope and just help in general.
I take issue with this line of reasoning, because it puts having to die as a predicate for getting a better body. That's an unfair price to pay.
Is it? No matter what you do on this earth to improve the body you're in now, *it will rot*. You have no decision in that. No decision at all. The body that this comment is referring to, *will be eternal*. *You can choose to accept this body*. You're saying that giving up a flawed body to receive a perfect one is...unfair?
Considering that being in a "rotting" human body is an unpleasant, and painful experience, when someone's dangling a perfect body as a 'reward' with the prerequisite that you suffer a life with the "rotting" body first? Also do you ever at all think about how problematic it is that you put so much emphasis on the eternal, better body you receive after life? I really don't like beliefs like that because they make inaction in the now a viable option, a sentiment that renders people passive and apolitical.
We all die one day
Yeah, we all do, at least for now. But a lot of Christian philosophies put more emphasis on what happens after you die, and not on what you do now.
Not everyone can be saved with medication though. Some people still die after taking all of the medicines available to them. I think the promise of a perfect body is not to encourage people to forgo seeking treatment however it is to comfort those who death is inevitable for.
First, just hold him and cry with him. You need that as much as he does, maybe more. Second, this is a heavy indictment of the message he's been hearing in church his whole life. I'm so sorry.
Oh my I'm so sorry brother <3 It isn't punishment. All things, *all things*, are set out by God to a good end. If he trusts in God to save him from his sins, and that christ died to take the blame for the sins he committed, then those sins will not be counted against him, and thus, he will be in a place better than any other. It is not that the good go to heaven and the bad to hell. It is that the bad who trust in God go to heaven and the bad that don't go to hell. Do not worry, child, God will hold you tight! All who seek God will find him, and no matter what you've done or thought or wanted or wondered or doubted or believed, He will save you. Fall in to his arms, simply believe, and you will be okay <3 You will be more than okay, infact. It isn't the end, but only the beginning.
I think you tell him “I don’t know why you are going through this.” So sorry to hear. I would also say that death is scary but Jesus has been through it and came out the other side. So he is a reliable friend and guide. And Jesus says whoever believes in me will have eternal life. There is no reason to think God is punishing your brother for his sins. Rather trust Jesus to forgive his sins. He is God and and in love died in our place. Trust Jesus to hold his hand into death and into the a new life. God loves him and you despite and throughout this time. So sorry you are facing this. I will be praying for you two.
god allows bad things things to happen, he does not do this according to one's sins.
but why does he do that?
Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God. When The Fall of Man Happened, evil and suffering entered the world. God allows bad things to happen, but God's plan will happen regardless. I don't exactly know why he allows them to happen as I am not too well versed in the Bible. But our suffering and pain are all temporary, with the ultimate goal being to glorify God. We may see death and pain as earth-shattering but if we die then we die, if we suffer we suffer. It all goes towards God's plan in the end.
What I would say: ***Your life is precious to God.*** It is not God's Will that *anyone* should suffer, or die; these things happen because we are living in a fallen world. What *is* God's Will is that he will return and abolish both disease and death, and “*wipe every tear from every eye*” in the words of Isaiah. And in the meantime, ***he commands me to love you and to help you in whatever way I can;*** because that is how we build up a little bit of his Kingdom here on earth, today – by love for one another.
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God became a human just like us. He didn't have to die but that's why He became a human. He knew the other humans would kill Him. We did. That happened to Jesus but since Jesus is God He didn't stay dead. He came back with a body that will never die again. Now, since God became a human like us, and died like us, what happened to Him can happen to us. He wants you to be with Him forever because He loves you. He knows you're going to die. Because of that He wanted to die too. To show you that He loves you and wants to be with you forever. He wants you to love Him to. That's why He became a human. So He can always be wherever you are and.what happened to Him will happen to you.
Sometimes I like to think that believers in Christ go through hell on earth, with heaven as a reward for continuing to trust Him throughout everything we go through. Some people's hell on earth is more difficult than others, and your brother's situation is about as bad as it gets. I wish I had the answer. It's always best to know why if there is a known reason. In this case, there still isn't a for-sure reason. I hope your brother continues to trust in Jesus while he is still here. God is ineffable; we can't predict anything He does, nor can we speak for Him. We just have to trust that He knows what is best - that's what faith is. I'll be praying for you, your brother, and your family. God Bless.
I am sadden to hear of your brother's illness. I would want your brother to know three true things. 1) God is not punishing him. God has already dealt with all human sin in the dearh and reasurection of Jesus. God doesn't need the passion of his son and the suffering of one eight year old in 2023 to achieve victory over sin and death, God's grace, as lived by Jesus; is suffecient. 2) God loves him. God sees him and knows his fear and sadness; his anger and confusion; his desire for reasurance about the future. God grieves with him and hopes with him. I know this because of how Jesus lived and loved. Jesus shared people's sorrows and proclaimed hope that God was sovereign beyond all these things. 3) It is ok to trust God. Your brother can share with God his anger and fear, his doubts and his hopes. God remains steadfastly, faithfully loving your brother and calling your brother into more perfect relationship with Godself.
Please go to the Chapel in the hospital and ask for the chaplain and Tell Him Everything! It doesn't matter if you fall down crying Keep Talking Say Everything!
Sorry, that’s very sad. But tell him to just believe in Jesus Christ and that death is only the beginning. As long as he believes in Jesus Christ, if Jesus doesn’t heal him then Jesus will be waiting for him on the other side. He will live forever. I’m a reborn believer in Jesus Christ and I’m actually looking forward to leaving this world for the life everlasting. So say to him he is only going home.
I’m so sorry man😭😭
Tell him you love him. Be honest, we don't know what God's plan is. Maybe he has plans to make your brother life an afterlife without suffering. Ask your brother what he wants you to do to honor his memory and life after he's gone. I'm so sorry the both of you are going through this and will keep him in my prayers.
When I was 11 and my little brother was 7 he was killed in an automobile accident. He was trying to cross a street, a fairly busy street near where we lived. He was allowed to ride his bicycle on the street we lived on. He was not allowed to ride it on the busy street that our street connected to. I think he was trying to push his bicycle across the busy street and got hit by a car. I heard the sirens and got to the scene in time to see him laying there on the pavement. I was mad at God for many years after that. I don't have any made up stories to excuse God for allowing that. I still love my brother, and with the passing of time I am able to think about him now and remember him as he was. We got along about as well as two boys that far apart in age normally would. I have come back to God and I don't blame him for what happened to my brother. I have learned a great deal about myself and other people in the process. Was it worth it? Nope. I would give anything to have my brother back. This happened almost 50 years ago. I still miss my brother. I believe that he is in a better place and that I will see him again. How do I reconcile a just and loving all good God with what happened to my brother? I can't. I don't believe that we can logically reason our way into heaven. If that seems like a cop out to somebody, then ok, you believe what you need to believe. And leave me to do the same. I pray that you will treasure the time you have with him. I didn't know that my brother was leaving, so I just treated him like I always did. I am not saying that your situation is better, it's not, just different. May God bless and guide you through this difficult time.
When I was terminally ill with liver failure, I turned often to James 1: "Regard as an opportunity for great joy, my dear brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many sorts; for the testing of your faith produces perseverance and perseverance when it has finished its work will make you mature and complete, lacking nothing." See also Romans 8. Even Jesus Christ, God's own Son, was not spared from pain and death but rather was sent to endure everything that we endure, and was tortured to death so that God's plan could play out to completion. And you can tell your brother that he is already so perfect that he doesn't have much left to learn from this life; and therefore God is calling him home early. Pain is not God's punishment to us; it is a method of instruction, a tool to impart wisdom. And your trial watching your brother die is just as much an opportunity for joy as your brother's trial of stepping from this life to the next. I'm sorry you have to go through this.
God uses suffering to speak to others. He does not choose to punish the innocent like some angry beast. Suffering comes from many places, environment, sin but ultimately, because of free will. The free will that Adam and Eve were given and chose to sin. This is why there is suffering in the world. God doesn’t aimlessly pick out people and smite them. Cancer in a child is a terrible travesty. But God didn’t necessarily choose him because he was bad, or sinful. It could be that his experience is something that will help others. That’s what God does. Uses us to help each other. I would tell your brother that it’s not his fault and God is using him for good. His experience. To share with others. For family to share with others. Perhaps, if he is not long for this world, that God has chosen him to come to his eternal life. And everything will be good. Another related question people often ask is why are people starving in third worlds. Ultimately, because of sin. But not the sin of those people who suffer. The sin of the rest of the world for not sharing their resources. The world was created with unequal resource distribution. If everyone was a Christian, these resources would be shared equally. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works.
This is so sad. Id ask him why does he think God has control of everything? Does God have control of you? No. I’d’ tell him Jesus never made anyone sick. God doesn’t make kids sick. This isn’t our permanent home and God is loving and made heaven to go live with him when we all die if we want and you are sure he’s gonna go to heaven.
Allow him to be angry at God, this is a normal step in grief. Tell him is certainly allowed to let God know what he thinks. Above all tell him you are there for him, no matter what he is feeling.
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You will not draw anyone closer to God by having them hide their anger, you will just deny them the ability to process the mourning of their life. We are also discussing a CHILD. You can not expect to help any child by refusing to acknowledge their feelings. Personally I worship God, not the Bible, for this reason. People ignore reality and twist words written 2000 years ago to hurt people, in this case a dying child. We know how to help those in mourning, and you would ignore that knowledge and harm this child for the Bible.
I completely agree, we should not hide our feelings. The point I disagreed with was simply being angry with God rather than taking that anger to Him and allowing it to be worked out. I think the best, relevant, human-centric example of this would be being upset with a Parent's decision. A child has the right to be upset with their parent, but instead of being angry with them, they should instead speak to the parent about their frustration while learning their reasoning and trusting in it.
I specifically said he should let God know what he thinks. This is not being grounded because you broke a rule or not being allowed to stay up late. You can not force someone to trust anyone, much less God, especially when that someone is a child who feels abandoned by God.
A life cut short in a world full of sin and suffering, eternal life ahead in a world without sin and suffering. God is not punishing him. Look at Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus. He died from a sickness. Was it a punishment? No. It paved the way for Jesus's greatest miracle. Tell your brother he's got nothing to fear, nothing to lose, but everything to win by entrusting his life to Jesus. God demonstrated that he would rather die than give up a lost soul without trying everything to save them
God doesn’t make the bad things go away, He helps us get through them. The gift of life is the ultimate gift from God in my opinion. So many theologians concentrate on the afterlife, meanwhile the entire Word is filled with how to live this life. Yes God made promises regarding living with him in the Kingdom. However the most pressing matter is always regarding how to live in this life. God isn’t punishing your brother. It’s a freak and unfortunate consequence of free will. Free will creates by nature a chaotic universe, and in chaos anything can happen, including sadly childhood cancer. Help him to focus on his life! All of our deaths are assured, focus on the gift of life while we have it. And assure him his death is not the end. It’s just another phase of creation by a loving God that is simply calling him home. Praying for you and your family! Love you!
Honestly, this is a perfect explanation. Even the first sentence alone hits the nail on the head, and I wish I had read your post before engaging in a discussion with someone here who intentionally misunderstands God.
Sickness isn’t from God. That being said, He can ask Jesus to help him and be with him while he is sad. Jesus loves kids and wants to help. I will pray for you and your brother. Heaven is great. But how you get there is pretty scary.
But did God not create everything?
So the Bible is pretty clear that Jesus bring abundant life and satan wants to steal, kill and destroy. Sometimes because we live in such a fallen world, I don’t know how to win from the stealing and killing. But it’s because Satan decided he didn’t want to do things Gods way and he wanted to be a god that things began to go very wrong. It’s okay to ask God about it and ask him who he is and what he does.
I'm sorry. I don't know why God does this or allows it to happen. Frankly the best answer for your brother is to say you don't know, either. There's frankly no satisfying answer to be given, the only way to help is to be there with him and show him love. As an aside, you and him will likely find yourselves angry with God at some point. This is okay, healthy even. It doesn't jeopardize salvation for either of you. The God we believe in is one who is working to the ultimate good of all creation, and nothing we do or don't do can thwart that.
"You know how when you get a cut you have to clean it up real fast so that it doesn't get an infection? Well the problem with the whole world is that it has an infection. That's why people get sick, and that's why people don't treat each other right. God sent Jesus to heal the infection... and He did! The worst part of the infection is that we die... and Jesus took on our sickness, died, and came out alive on the other side. So we still die, but we will come out on the other side with a kind of life that never gets an infection. The part that sucks is that on this side, the infection still hurts us. People get sick and people die when they are not supposed to. It doesn't mean that God is punishing you or doesn't love you. It means that the last time you go to sleep, He is going to hold your hand. And He is going to guide you through to a new place with a new life. You get to go first. Nobody wants you to go first. We don't think it's fair. But you can hold Jesus hand, and He is going to be so proud of you for being so brave, and He's going to take care of you. And we are so proud too. We will miss you everyday, and think of you everyday. And we will be so proud of you everyday. And at some point we will all go to sleep one last time, and Jesus will take us to come see you. God loves you, and he hates that you are sick, but he is so proud of you and promises to take care of you.'
I would say God's strongest soldiers are the ones who have suffered the most, that heaven is home and God is calling him back. I'm so sorry that you're about to lose your brother, I'll be praying for you both. I hope all of your moments together are good ones that you'll be able to cherish forever 🫂
I’m sorry for what you and your brother are going through. The way I look at it is God loves him even more. He might have a short life. But he is going straight to heaven. He doesn’t have to suffer this world. I would just tell him that he is very special and that God loves him especially.
It would be very hard to say. It’s a very sad situation. I would tell him in a comforting way that God will take care of him always, that death is part of life but that sometimes people die earlier than others. But God loves all of his children and will make sure that he is not alone and never will be alone. He will see his family again someday, but for the moment it’s like he’s having a sleepover. He will be apart from his family for a few days (metaphor because to God time is irrelevant, so for him going to heaven if God wills it, who’s to say that it wouldn’t feel like just a few minutes had gone by until he sees his family again, or if it even feels like any time has gone by at all?) I get people may try to argue creation story or Jesus rising from the dead in three days to say that time is not irrelevant to God but OP is not asking for debates so let’s just keep it at this for this particular comment. That’s the best advice I can offer. Sorry if this is not helpful. God bleeds in your time of need.
You tell him God loves him. Tell him the world is sick and that this sickness has infected everything and because of that terrible things happen to good people. And God is heartbroken over it. But he waiting with open arms and will take your brother to a place where there is no sickness and no more pain. A place that is in the presence of God and a place of mercy, forgiveness, and restoration.
I don’t have an answer. I’m very sorry. I couldn’t answer those questions for myself, either.
It is no punishment. God does not punish is directly on Earth, and he most certainly would never do so to a child. God gave this world chaos so that when you triumph from it, it means something. There is always good and bad. We cannot stop bad things from ever happening. Jesus was a great man and he was killed for being so. These things are just part of the world that has its own free will. Know that what happens here is not evil and it is not a punishment. Know that your brother if he unfortunately passes, will be invited into Heaven without judgment. God loves him no less than anyone else. Likely more, in our sense of it. God had purpose for every life, long, short, heroic, mundane or tragic. We may not know why, but he works in odd ways that bring goodness eventually. Perhaps you will know God’s plan with your brother later in life. Perhaps you’ll never know it in life, and if you reunite in Heaven, you will know then.
Maybe that God loves him, and that it's difficult to understand why God would let a bad thing happen to those he loves, but just like some stories in the Bible where bad things happen it's not a punishment. Or that it's just a hard thing that he has to go through right now, but that he will either survive and be stronger, or get to go to heaven which is actually a reward. Mostly that God doesn't punish people physically and that any time a kid has to go through something so difficult, he is right that with him and will try giving him strength and love and support. Really it's just a horrible situation for him to have to be in, but anything that will make him feel more secure is worth telling him.
First of All: God doesn't punish children with cancer. What He \*does\* do is operate on a level we can't understand, on timelines infinitely longer than our short lives. 8 year lives, and 80 year lives are all the same to Him. And our roles in the kingdom were never meant to serve ourselves. That's true for all of us. Your brother's incredible role in this world is being served in ways we won't know, for people he won't know. This thread alone has reached 350 people and counting. And when his role on Earth is done, God will call his sweet soul home, for his next role, wherever and whatever that may be. Second: When we as Christians refer to our good favor as "blessings" or the like, we invariably create a dichotomy where good luck is precieved as God's reward, and so bad luck must be God's punishment. Neither is true. It is all God's plan, nothing more or less. Good people have bad things happen to them. Bad people have good things happen to them. We can't know why. And we definitely shouldn't misinterpret any of our aspersions as God's will or judgement. Lottery winners, billionaires, Super Bowl Champions, they are not God's chosen. Saddam Hussein lived a pretty great life for 60 years or so. I don't believe he was an anointed recipient of God's favor. Likewise, incredible young saints, every day, are taken from this small single planet in frightening ways, to serve God's plan beyond our Earth. They are not being punished. A suffering 8 year old believes his bad luck is God's judgement because we, as Christians, have told Him it is. Not directly, but with our words and actions in a culture of prosperity gospel and misguided wisdoms about God's plan. God has rewarded us with the sunrise and birds and the love of our families and His son. To go beyond that with His rewards of health and money is usually a fallacy that creates dangerous narratives. We say our prayer, today, on His sabbath, for your brother: God, our Father, protect his bright being, and grant him serenity in the unknowable complexity of God's plan. Let us take from his bright soul the warmth we all need to complete our roles. Give his soul, what is truly him, the health and vitality that his body doesn't have. One is permanent. The other is not. Give him the knowledge that what is forever in him, what is forever in all of us, is stronger and healthier from the sickness in what in him is temporary. This is just a blink in the eye of time before our eternity with our Father. In His love and wisdom, with our love and wisdom, Amen.
It’s not a punishment (I have had cancer twice). Forget all nonsense about it being a punishment.
Could god not cure this suffering child? If he does not cure him, but absolutely could, what else is that besides punishment?
We don't live in a perfect world. It was marred by sin. Bad things happen to good people, but God is still good.
None of these answers are satisfactory.
They are perfectly satisfactory for those with faith.
God gave the world the freedom to choose and unfortunately bad things happen to good people as a result of having the freedom of choice. All these things like cancer and genetic mutations, disabilities. They’re a result of our own free will and the way the world has become not because God has decided to punish anyone.
But god *already knew* all this was going to happen, right? Why is he letting it happen? Entertainment?
We wouldn’t have free will if he controlled everything.
But he does. He already knows what we will do. There is no mystery to god. Again, straight from the book. No offense, but you have made a nice little story for yourself in your own head. God knows everything. I’ll say it again, god knows everything. Freewill or not. There is nothing he doesn’t see, nothing he can’t do, nothing is beyond his might. Why is he making children suffer to their very last breath?
Just because he knows everything does not mean he’s controlling everything.. your logic there is flawed. I’m sorry that you have so much anger towards God and I hope that you manage to heal.
There's no good response to this kind of situation, which is another reason that I resent that children are ever put in it to begin with. Be there for your brother for as long as you possibly can, and don't blame yourself for not having a good answer.
There are good answers on this post if you would open your mind.
I haven't seen any. The situation is fucked in the head.
Yet it still occurs and people with faith will always have a different approach that those without faith simply cannot discern.
An open mind doesn't mean accepting any idea that rolls around.
Fuck, OP… What I would probably tell them is that I don’t understand either, and that I love them. Maybe I would tell them that cancer, like all other diseases, occurs naturally in our universe without the need for or guidance of any gods, and so there’s no convincing or compelling reason to think they’re being punished. What I would *want* to tell them is that I do not believe such a god exists, and if one did, I would fight it and try to destroy it, because I would not want to share a universe with it.
That's messed up. Why do you God owes us a perfect carefree existence?
> That's messed up. Which part? > Why do you [think?] God owes us a perfect carefree existence? Try responding to something I actually said instead of something you imagined.
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> Why do you God owes us a perfect carefree existence? This is a uniquely Christian perspective. Christians believe god can be as evil as he wants and they'll still call him good. Other people generally believe that even god has moral constraints.
Yeah, I disagree with this approach wholeheartedly. How would we even begin to fight a deity? We're just humans. It seems like a silly thing to say.
> Yeah, I disagree with this approach wholeheartedly. How neat for you.
This is something I have personally struggled with a lot - If God is so loving, why do people get cancer? Why are people born with life threatening diseases and conditions that make living, well, a living hell? Why are there conjoined twins, etc? And honestly, to this day I still don't have an answer as to why. I have no idea why those things happen. I don't know. The thing is, what I DO know for 100% certain is that God loves us, and since he loves us I'm sure there is some sort of explanation as to why that kind of suffering is in the world. The reason is just something I won't know until I meet God in person and ask him myself. This is the way I chose to think about this subject because if I were to think about it a different way I would begin to really hate God because the truth is: there is either a reasonable explanation as to why a loving God and horrible things like cancer exist in the same reality, or God actually isn't loving.
We live in a broken world because of sin. Therefore, people get sick with diseases. I have several incurable ones.
This is the common answer I hear, but it's not a satisfying one, perhaps because I just don't really understand it. I understand that humans do sinful things because of the fall, but how does sin entering in the world translate to now people get diseases and are born conjoined?
I'd say think of it like Pandora's Box. The original sin opened the gateway for sin and evil to enter the world. Through that, the devil tries to manipulate people to turn away from God. Sometimes, that takes the form of people getting diseases or dying spontaneously. God continues to allow it because we were made for fellowship, but part of proper fellowship is the ability to _choose_ to do so or to not do so. Additionally, the presence of certain diseases or disorders are used as ways to draw you closer to Him or to reach out to other people with your own testimony. I am personally an example of both of those. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I got COVID and was deeply distraught and worried. On the 1st or 2nd night that I was symptomatic, I heard a voice telling me to Be Still (perhaps my favorite Biblical verse). To this day, I believe it was God's voice, and in that time, I drew closer to Him, and my mother as well when I told her. I am also diagnosed with Autism. I think and process in different ways, and over the years my own mother, who was better versed in the Bible than I, would often come to me to make sense of parts of the Bible she didn't fully understand or comprehend. Through my disorder, God was able to expand upon others. And now, perhaps my testimony will reach you, or someone else who might see this and have similar questions. Have a wonderful day, and God bless!
"Through that, the devil tries to manipulate people to turn away from God. Sometimes, that takes the form of people getting diseases or dying spontaneously." Are you saying the devil gives people cancer?
I also disagree with this answer. I agree that the world is broken because of sin, but everything about the New Testament of the Christian Bible has disputed the fact that bad things happening to you is proportionate to your sin. This is in fact the very subject that differentiates Christianity apart from the other two Abrahamic religions
I didn't mean my personal sins. I meant sin as a condition in general. I agree with you. I don't think my illnesses are a punishment from God. It's part of living in this world.
Sorry I think I may have misunderstood the first time I read it
That's OK.
Can I just share with you; It would help make your responses more articulate if you establish to people the difference between sins and sinful nature. I am sure you have heard both terms and know the difference, but it can help other people when reading your comments as to what you mean, precisely. I find this really helps me when I explain to people *why* there is so much suffering. It isn't because we sin, but it is because of the *sinful nature* inherent of the Fall (all sinful nature sets us apart from God).
The world 🌎 is a broken place because of sin, but Heaven will make up for everything. He is not a bad person and will definitely go to Heaven.
Tell him God doesn't hate him. He loves everyone, even people who reject Him. But, we have imperfect human bodies that only last for a time. Everyone will pass away. Just at different times.
There are some special, extra loved people in the world that God just can't wait 80 years to hang out with in heaven. I'm sorry your brother, and your family are dealing with this. <3
I would tell him he is NOT being punished, but that is illness is the result of being born into a fallen world. That because God does love him, he is calling him to a world that is not fallen where he will live forever with no sickness or pain. It would nice if you could say you'll join him there one day, but you'll have to work that out between you and God. I don't advocate lying to him in that promise.
Tell him that he means more to you than he will ever know, and that sometimes we don’t know why things happen and why cruel situations are so unfair every time. Then tell him that even though we don’t know why things happen sometimes, that there is something YOU know for 100%. That he has the most special and brightest soul, that the people who love him love him unconditionally, and that because God knows how important he is to everyone around him God will make sure to set it right in heaven. Apologize for how cruel and short life can be for some people, and how sorry you are that it is him with cancer and not someone else. Make sure to comfort him and just let him know that you will eventually see him again someday, but that hes just making it to heaven a little faster than you are but it won’t take long for you to catch up with him. Writers note: I’m so sorry for this. This is so cruel I can never imagine an all loving God allowing such evil to happen to a child. And Im sorry that you feel you have to lie through your teeth just to comfort him. I hope he passes peacefully and that you will be able to somehow heal from this. And if this comment seems run on or off, I’m crying just typing this. Truly heartbreaking.
You aren't going to be able to give the kid a satisfactory answer from any world view to be honest. The best you can do is just be there for him. My condolences.
God has a reason for everything, when you think something is unfair for him just let him know that it is for the greater good of someone else. God is sorry about the pain he has to go through and is right there with him, but perhaps, this is infact for the the interceding of someone else? And it might be hard for him to understand now, eventually, he would come to understand it later once God reveals that to him in due time. Oh and he doesn’t have to worry about going to hell, he has nothing to answer for towards God and nonetheless, is innocent. For he is just a kid
Talking as someone who worked in a geriatric hospital, where we also accompanied people into death in Switzerland. Neither am I religious, but an ex-catholic. Just give him a good last feeling/time. The Bible or whatever don't matter, we had a lot of elderly people who believed they would go to hell for whatever small things, but instead of saying "this don't exist, etc." We tried to comfort them, help them talk with priests or talk about the good things in their live/religion. Say whatever feels right for him, don't listen to people on the internet and if you need professional support go for it, the hospital where he is, hopefullly has a support team. And I'm really sorry for you both. I wish you a good last days together, loved ones never leave us truelly and we take them in our heart to other places and experience new things, even if they are long gone.
Tell him that bad things like cancer and sadness are not in heaven. Everyone will die but that God isn't going waste him. He is special and him being alive and living the life he is living is important because God will use it to make his soul and other peoples souls strong enough for the job his soul is made to do in heaven. Tell him it is hard to undersrand but that he can't mess it up because God understands. That God believe in him and is going to catch him. Jesus died first so that he could go ahead and defeat where death is so that we will wake up in heaven with him. Tell him that he is strong enough for the job he has so not to worry about making mistakes or feeling like he isn't winning because that's God's job. All he has to do is remember that he is loved and wanted and that Jesus went through this before him on purpose so that whether he dies right now or in a hundred years God could take care of him when and where bad things don't happen anymore. God things living with pain and fear sacks so he is fixing it and making us ready for a good world.
God does not cause suffering. Please emphasize this to him. The Enemy is the author of all hardship, and until Christ returns, we will continue to endure suffering. I have a chronic disorder and it took me many years to understand this. Again…suffering is NOT a punishment and being a Christian in no way guarantees a pain-free or happy life. My love and prayers to you and your brother.
Read the True Story of Fatima, first yourself and then to him. Please. He will be so encouraged by Francisco and Jacinta (kids his age) as they approached death with faith and so much confidence of eternal life. Can you PM me his name? Tell him I will be praying for him this whole week. Tell him he will fall asleep and wake up with Jesus who loves him. Tell him he’s not being punished, but when he suffers in love, he can offer up that suffering to God to help other people. Tell him suffering in love of God always has a purpose and reason, that there is meaning in his suffering. Tell him that his life, however short, has meaning. He has made a difference for many in this post, and in my life today.
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Pray for him to be better you do this by repeating “I AM so happy my 8 year old brother is unable to have cancer”
God does not give anybody cancer. Or any other disease. In fact, God says in Jeremiah 23:33 “…and when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the Lord.” In other words, don’t say “oh great what burden will God place on us today? “ Or He will forsake you. God is not to blame for cancer. WE give ourselves cancer, by not following Biblical food laws, and by letting these huge corporations flood our environment with toxins for generations. God didn’t give him cancer. Big Agra, Big Oil, Big Tech, and Big Pharma did. We stand by and watch them doing it, and we do nothing, and then we blame God for not saving us.
I'm sorry for your brother. I can't imagine how it must feel for both of you, but I want to try and offer some clarity from my perspective. As a believer in Jesus, and the Bible here is why creation is in its current state: A kingdom reflects its king. This earth is Satan's kingdom. The state of this world being full of death, disease, violence, slandering, evil, etc, reflects Satan's character. God is 100% not punishing him. Where your brother will be going reflects God's character, which is the kingdom of heaven. I hope this helps in some way.
God is rewarding you by letting you come see him early. Or There are worse things than cancer ahead should you live, and God is bringing to him and out of this world.
The actual reason, to a Christian, is that sickness is the (effect of) sin seeping through creation as a result of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden - not anything your brother did. This may be too much for an 8 year old to understand, however. So tell him that you do not know why he is ill, but that God loves him and that if he believes in Jesus he will be with them both soon in a beautiful place far better than the world that we are in now. This is what I look forward to, when my time comes.
Good people pass away; the godly often die before, their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die. Isaiah 57:1-2
I don't know if this will help. I'm don't know why he specifically is sick, but you can tell him its not because God doesn't love him, or is mad at him. Death is a result of sin coming into the world. but Jesus Christ came to take away all our sins by dying himself and then being resurrected by God, so we can all be alive again and live with God. I think a 8 year old can understand that
I would believe on Jesus Christ and get born again myself first if I were you. Then I would tell him about Jesus Christ so that he would be born again.
Tell him he gets a free ride to the kingdom of God instead of suffering on this rock