Emmanuel Chanda talks us through his response to young boys from local urban estates who feel that their chances in life are limited and that life is unfair.

When I was in LCM's Pioneer training programme, my placement was in a school where most of the boys could see that they were disadvantaged compared to others. One question that came up over and over was, “If God is so good, why do some have it so much easier than others?” Many of them grew up in hard-pressed families in deprived communities and feel that their life-chances were limited, so this was a heartfelt and searching question, not an academic puzzle.

“If God is so good, why do some have it so much easier than others?”

From being faced with this question over and over, I learned a few things. The first is to listen carefully, never overlooking the importance of respecting someone’s struggle with an issue of faith, taking time and giving serious consideration to their question. Sometimes I responded by questioning what success looks like from God’s perspective. For example, success for God cannot be measured in monetary value.

You can be poor but still know that God is always loving and always kind, because there’s a true peace that’s found in him. Other times, I’d point to Jesus’ life – people literally chased him day in, day out trying to kill him. When you look at things, his life was not easy. But more valuable than answering the questions directly is investing time with people, doing life together on a one-to-one level.

I want to demonstrate that life is not a game to be played alone, you don’t have to be by yourself. So rather than just answer the question on an intellectual level, I learned to take time with them, showing that they are valuable and that I am prepared to walk alongside them. There are times to acknowledge that life is tough, then to start thinking practically about what they can do in their situation, even if it feels that the odds are stacked against them. It is shifting from a philosophical question to working out how they can answer it in their own lives.

If you'd like to find out more about reaching young people with the gospel in an urban setting, find out more here.