Hundreds of thousands of Americans may be living with something called Alpha-Gal Syndrome, a tickborne allergy to red meat and other mammalian products that recently drew attention after Joe Rogan discussed a friend’s experience with the condition.
No more steak, burgers, or bacon. Families face sudden illnesses, lost traditions, and fear. At the same time, reports of hantavirus outbreaks and security warnings about possible terror threats tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in DFW remind us how fragile life remains. These modern afflictions strike families hardest and echo an ancient question that still rises from every hospital room and broken home: “Why, God?”
For generations, good people have watched their children get cancer, face sudden tragedy, or walk away from faith. The Bible answers in the book of Job.
Job was blameless and rich, yet in one day he lost all ten of his children, his wealth, and his servants. His wife told him to curse God. His friends blamed him. But Job refused to turn against the Lord. After months of agony, God restored him, doubling what he had lost.
Job’s story is not ancient history.
It’s happening now in all the world’s suffering. A desperate mother once knelt before St. Ambrose, weeping for her rebellious son. He stole, lied, lived with a girlfriend, and mocked the faith she taught him. Through tears she begged: “Please, convert my son. Save him.”
Ambrose’s reply shocked her: “Leave him alone… It is not possible that the son of these tears should perish.” She stopped demanding. She stopped negotiating with God. She opened her hands and surrendered her son completely. Years later, that son became St. Augustine, one of the greatest Christian thinkers in history.
Most of us pray the wrong way: “God, fix my child, husband, wife, or sibling in this way.” We treat God like a vending machine. But James 4:3 warns we often ask wrongly. True prayer says: “Jesus, You want their heart even more than I do. Not my will, but Yours. On Your time. In Your way. Even if it costs me suffering, so be it.”
This is how Abraham laid Isaac on the altar. This is how Monica finally saw breakthrough. Surrender is the key that turns ordinary prayers into unstoppable ones. Today, many families feel like Job’s, torn apart by illness, rebellion, or tragedy. And around the world, the suffering is worse. In Nigeria, thousands of Christians have been killed, families have been slaughtered in their villages, and pastors have been murdered with their wives and children, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Jesus never promised a pain-free life. He said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33) and warned that His followers would face persecution (Matthew 24:9). Revelation shows this will intensify before His return, with plagues, pressure to compromise, and calls for patient endurance (Revelation 14:12).
Job was restored. Monica received a saint. Nigerian believers endure with supernatural peace. Your tears, your waiting, your surrender, none of it is wasted. If you are the parent, spouse, or child crying over someone you love, hear this:
Start surrendering. The same Lord who saw Job, Monica, and the martyrs sees you. He is writing a story that ends in victory. “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10) Hold fast. Your faithfulness matters for eternity.
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About Future Voices
Future Voices is a Sunday-morning column in The Dallas Express in which young Texans share how faith and perseverance shape their lives. These stories remind readers that God often speaks through the honesty and courage of the next generation.
