Why Did God Make Animals That are Vicious and can Hurt People?

Dear Madison,

Thanks for sending me this excellent question. I always enjoy hearing from Discovery readers. Animals do sometimes hurt people, so we must be careful. Other things that happen on Earth can also hurt us if we are not careful. For example, tornadoes sometimes kill people or destroy their homes. The law of gravity is in place, so if we stumble we may fall and hurt ourselves. We enjoy picking pretty flowers, but sometimes we are stuck by sharp thorns.

Life on Earth is not heaven, but our Earthly lives should make us want to go to heaven. Negative things in the world can actually help us to prepare our souls for heaven, because they remind us that our physical bodies will die one day, and they help us develop patience (James 5:11). God has ordered the world to be the perfect place to help us prepare for eternity (read 1 Peter 1:1-10).

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