Burger King tapped into the American psyche when they came out with their “Have it your way!” campaign. They insisted that it should be the right of the burger buyer to have that burger any way that they wanted it…and promised to deliver.

There is something so very enticing about having things our way.

We could get used to that in a heartbeat.

We think that it would lead to true happiness and contentment.

We would be kings and queens of our world.

Every infant has that narcissistic desire to rule the roost and have all things revolve around their needs (as indeed they should for the newborn). It is when we get to our twos that we discover that the whole world does not always play along and we hear that dreaded word “No”. It’s no small wonder that they call it the terrible twos, because all of a sudden our domain is not responding properly to us as ruler. We work our way through that and, hopefully, discover that it is okay for us to not receive every demand. In fact, some of the demands that we made would have done more harm than good. Ideally, as we grow into maturity, our ability to wait patiently and to endure difficulty grows right along with us. We learn to submit our will to greater causes and we see other’s needs and desires as valid and important as well.

But there is always the ongoing struggle to re-capture that narcissistic view of the world revolving around us. There is forever that gravitational pull to emotional infancy and the demand of having things our way or else we’ll throw a fit.

The only antidote to that downward tug is to submit to something higher, Someone higher.

Think of the angry faces and demanding voices that we hear and see every day. They are people who, recklessly disregarding other’s beliefs or views, demand that they have it their way. When we denigrate our society to that level, then the only thing that matters is who has the power. Like little thugs in a sandbox, they can grasp what they want, wrest the toy of their choice, and never look back. Too often, he who is loudest and proudest wins in the arena of public discourse today. But this should not be. We have come too far to slide back so low.

At one time, we were all agreed that we were “one nation under God”. That meant something. Instead of demanding that we have it our way, we said we wanted to follow God’s way.

And the choice is still ours because the choice is made and re-made every morning when we open our eyes.

You get to choose.

Will you be having it your way today (and ignore the better way) or will you say, “Father, not my will but Yours be done?”

Luke 22:42New International Version (NIV) 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”