For God loved the world so much Even though I was just a little girl, I remember the cold autumn day when I accompanied my father to the nearby cemetery. As we stood over three tiny graves, I remember the tears streaming down my father's face and the anguish in his eyes. My father was reluctant to explain why we were there for fear that I was too young and innocent to understand the horrible circumstances involved. He didn't need to explain. I knew exactly why we were there. Word had already spread in my elementary school that a woman from our community had killed her three children a few days earlier. The oldest of the three boys was also said to have been found under a pile of clothes in a closet inside their small suburban home. There was speculation that he witnessed the horrific deaths of his two younger brothers, so he retreated into the closet to escape. His mother found him there and he too fell victim to such a horrible fate. Why did this have to happen? I thought God loved all little children and should protect them. How could he allow such a thing among such innocent creatures? All these thoughts were running through my head and I finally had the courage to ask my father these questions. His only response was that they must be very special children and God needed them in Heaven. Not satisfied with his answer, this experience haunted me for much of my childhood. Would God allow this to happen to me? I have spent many years searching for answers. I recently read The Problem of Evil by Richard Swinburne and realized that it confirmed the answers I had found over the years. He argues that God created us as free agents in an imperfect world where we can learn good from evil and... middle of paper... God takes advantage of every situation and works to bring good out of every situation. evil, life from death and hope from despair. I know that this idea alone cannot remove the anguish and pain, but I hope it can give us the courage to continue living and the awareness that God will not abandon us. We can triumph over evil in the midst of our suffering. We can live in hope that there is a right and perfect place for us beyond this world. Now I can find comfort in the fact that there are three kids from my past who are now in a much better place in this world. They have eternal happiness and joy. Maybe my father was right after all: they are very special children. Bibliography:1. Swinburne, Richard. “The problem of evil”. The canon and its critics, a multiperspective introduction to philosophy. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing, 2000. 575-86.