As a reporter, I have a hard time writing stories involving children and death. It weighs on my heart and mind. 

This weekend, I photographed and wrote a story about a young man who is 15 and facing terminal cancer. The doctors say he doesn’t have much longer to live. 

The human response is of course to ask God why this could happen. It is a question I pondered while sitting in a tree stand Sunday afternoon. I came to a couple of conclusions. 

First, death, pain, illness and war are in this world because man sinned. I believe we all face physical death at some point but we are all spiritually dead first because of our sin. 

Second, God loves us. We know this due to the fact we love others. We love others because God first loved us. How much does God love us? He sent his only begotten son Jesus so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Jesus lived a perfect life, died on a cross for our sins and rose again to defeat death. It is through faith in Jesus we are spiritually reborn and reconciled with God. Our reconciliation is through grace, God’s grace. His grace is greater than all of our sin. 

Third, God never fails. Man fails each other and our own bodies fail us but God does not fail. God had a plan from the beginning of the world and while man does not understand God’s timing we must trust God’s timing is perfect.

I don’t know what God’s plan is with this young man’s story or why it has to happen.

I do know this. God loved us so much that He sent His only son to die for our sins so anyone who believes in Him can walk in a newness of life. 

While I do not know His plan, I trust His hand is at work and I pray others will be able to come to faith because of it.