Want to read the whole Christmas story with your family?

Having questions doesn’t make you a bad Christian. Actually the opposite.

Verses to read as we prepare to recognize Good Friday, when Jesus gave up His life for our redemption. (1) Isaiah 53:5 (NIV): "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed." (2) Matthew 26:39 (NIV): "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'" (3) Mark 15:39 (NIV): "And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, 'Surely this man was the Son of God!'" (4) Romans 5:8 (NIV): "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (5) 1 Peter 2:24 (NIV): "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds, you have been healed."

1. “Everything happens for a reason.” Except that isn’t in the Bible… 2. We say it because we want pain to make sense. And that instinct? That's not wrong. That's human. 3. What the Bible actually says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28) It doesn't say everything is good. It doesn't say everything has a reason. It says God works in all things. 4. You don't have to find a reason for what happened to you. You just have to trust that God is working in it. You are not alone in hard times. 5. Faith doesn't always mean having the answer. Sometimes it just means trusting the one who does.