A new pony would be nice, too - updated

This was still on my mind last night because somebody asked me recently, "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?"

What popped up this morning was troubling, but probably worth mentioning here.

You're asking the wrong question, dude ... because there are no 100% good people, even if some seem less wicked than others. "No one is good except God alone" (Mk. 10:18) Besides that, no matter what tragedy takes place, no matter how unfair or cruel life becomes, things could always be much, much worse.

When I was a kid prayer seemed like God's way of granting wishes to his favorites, like a moody and sometimes stingy genie ... and all you had to do was rub his bottle the right way to receive anything on earth you desired. Maybe that's why even as adults we catch ourselves praying for stuff: things like a better job, more money, a new relationship, a newer car ... even a bigger house in a safer neighborhood.

As though God is willing to make presents of things we want instead of accepting that he already knows exactly what we need.

Maybe people who pray for material or personal "upgrades" don't consider themselves asking for presents, that they're merely asking for a reward instead ... or at least requesting an early draw on their heavenly asset account.

My ears tingle every time I hear the words And let thy will be done casually tacked on at the end of a mealtime blessing. It makes me wonder, "Do you actually want God's will to be done in your life? Really and completely?"

Maybe your answer might be a grudging, "Well, that depends ..."

Sorry, but I don't believe that becoming a Christ-follower involves any promises of a safe, happy or easier life. No matter what the latest best-seller says. People ask for things, instead of seeking God's will, when they're focused on this world and have become anxious for a supernatural shortcut to achieving their own ends.

I don't think scripture teaches that Jesus died on the cross so that we could have plasma TVs, become famous or drive a new car. I don't even think the abundant life means our kids will never get sick, that we'll get that big prommotion, or a vacation house, or that we'll always have a closet full of the latest fashions.

I think following Christ, and asking for God's will to be done in our lives, means full-time submission without excuse or hesitation at all. Total submission means becoming, as Paul described himself, a slave to Jesus Christ ... and there's no such thing as a part-time slave.

So why on earth would anyone willingly follow Christ if it might mean being less popular, or having fewer friends at work, or accepting a lower standard of living or putting Self aside and focusing to be more like Christ in every situation? Accepting all those things seems hard, especially when we live in a society that's focused on Having It Your Way.

The answer will seem either ridiculously simplistic, or fundamentally simple.

Because as believers who've felt ourselves reborn in the Holy Spirit there is no other choice than to follow Christ, no matter what, nor any desire to fine-tune or "improve" God's plan for our lives.