why so sad?

church this morning was really sad. i swear, everyone was crying! so many teary-eyed people. it was awesome. but sad at the same time. pete preached, a CS Younglife leader. he was great. he teared up a little when he was talking about his daughter being sick. then everyone in the church who tears up when someone else tears up, teared up. (teared-up is a weird verb. i think about how weird some words are when i use them a lot in a few sentences). then when they called people up for prayer requests and stuff, more tears came. i could've cried. Correction: i couldn't have cried, because i dont cry. ever. but it was sad. i mean i could have cried as in i felt the sadness in the room. my question is....why? why were there so many good christ-loving people in that room so sad and heartbroken? i've heard a lot of stories lately as i grow closer with new friends about pain. why does the lord give these good wholesome people such pain in their lives? i dont understand it. they dont deserve it. pete was talking about how the lord can and will punish us and discipline us. i dont really understand that. that's something that confuses me about him. i dont understand WHY he would punish someone. like what have those crying people in church done wrong that they deserve to be punished? i always thought it was kind of random. well, not random. like sickness and stuff is all in God's plan. like it will all work out in the end, i understand that. but i don't understand how it's for a purpose. like punishment. pete's daughter is sick as a punishment? that's what i thought he was trying to say. i'm really confused now. why does the Lord put his children through pain? and why do some go through more pain than others? i understand that he has a plan, but when we start talking about punishment and discipline, that's where i get a little lost.