The average American encounters hundreds of commercial messages each day, and because of this we've been programmed to think life was supposed to be easy. It isn't. Life is supposed to be meaningful and we can't gain a sense of meaning without conflict.
When Jesus asks people to follow him, he's asking them to enter into a challenging, counter- intuitive life. When Jesus says "I have come to give you life more abundantly", he's not talking about a life of comfort, he's talking about a life of meaning. He's calling us to the challenge of following him, a challenge so purposful and hopeful that suffering for his sake becomes a reward.
If we think of Jesus as a product that promises a comfortable life we will always feel God is letting us down. But the problem isn't that he's not doing what he promised, the problem is we misunderstand what he meant by an "abundant life".
Jesus is not a product that will make your life perfect, he's a living being that wants a relationship and relationships are hard.
Can you imagine the Apostle Paul, doing an infomercial for the product of Jesus?
"Hi, I'm Paul and I want to tell you about the product of Jesus. I used to have a job and money and friends and lots of power. And then I got the product of Jesus and lost my job, my friends, my money and my power. Today, I'm secretly shuffled from town to town where I'm routinely ridiculed, imprisoned, tortured and occasionally bitten by snakes. You too can have the product of Jesus by calling 1-800..."
There could even be a doctors warning at the end of the infomercial: The product of Jesus may cause temporary blindness. If your blindness lasts more than three days seek medical attention.
Jesus asks us to take up our cross and follow him. That's conflict.
Donald Miller