Helping teen age son know that God is good

[Convert2000]

Please let me know if you can suggest good resources to help teens understand that God is good. It sounds so basic, but I have a teen-age son, who is very deep-thinking, and he is very cynical about God. He thinks that if people love God and truly try to serve Him, that they are persecuted and often die awful deaths.

I’ve read biographies to my children about Catholic saints and protestant people who loved God very much: The Little Flower, Eric Liddle, Saint Vincent de Paul, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, St. Bernadette, The Cure of Ars, Corrie ten Boom . . . I wanted them to learn about people who led lives of heroic virtue,and it seems that my son has taken the lesson from this that if you serve God with vigor, that you will come to a miserable end - so God must not really be good.

I’ve mentioned that those who die awful deaths often die singing or praising God, but I think he wonders if it will be worth it to dedicate his life to God, knowing that persecution awaits him. Like I said, he is very deep thinking, and extremely intelligent - so the resources could be advanced.

Please pray for us, and mention any resources you think will help us. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Polycarp1]

Please let me know if you can suggest good resources to help teens understand that God is good. It sounds so basic, but I have a teen-age son, who is very deep-thinking, and he is very cynical about God. He thinks that if people love God and truly try to serve Him, that they are persecuted and often die awful deaths.

I’ve read biographies to my children about Catholic saints and protestant people who loved God very much: The Little Flower, Eric Liddle, Saint Vincent de Paul, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, St. Bernadette, The Cure of Ars, Corrie ten Boom . . . I wanted them to learn about people who led lives of heroic virtue,and it seems that my son has taken the lesson from this that if you serve God with vigor, that you will come to a miserable end - so God must not really be good.
I’ve mentioned that those who die awful deaths often die singing or praising God, but I think he wonders if it will be worth it to dedicate his life to God, knowing that persecution awaits him. Like I said, he is very deep thinking, and extremely intelligent - so the resources could be advanced.
Please pray for us, and mention any resources you think will help us. Thanks in advance for your help.

Jesus Himself came to a terrible end! Oh wait a minute, that wasn’t the end, it was really a beginning. I suspect that physical death is a much bigger deal for us than it is for God. We are part spirit and cannot be uncreated. That means like it or not we will exist for all eternity. That to say that we don’t really come to an end miserable or not. Once we try to look at things with the big picture or from God’s viewpoint we find that many of our assuptions and conclusions are false and sometimes foolish. (As scripture points out repeatedly!)

A good book for him to read would be “A Map of Life” by Frank Sheed

 

[Wa_Michael]

St. Paul was very intelligent and he began by persecuting the Church!
St. Augustine was very intelligent and began by seeking the truth and happiness using any way possible!
St. Justine the Martyr was very intelligent and began by seeking the truth using philosophy!
ETC… The son just needs time, but never lose hope, for the truth is one and rationality is one. So if he is really intelligent and thinks without mischief HE WILL PERCEIVE THE TRUTH AT LAST!