Why do bad things happen to good people?

This world is a cruel, cruel place because of sin.  People have a choice to do good or to do evil.  The sad part is that everyone does evil to some degree because we are all sinners (Romans 3:10-12, 23).  Therefore, technically speaking, there is none good other than God (Matthew 19:17).  However, people, saved and lost, try to do as good as they can and many expect that they will reap what they sow, which they will for the most part (Galatians 6:7).  However, God does not promise that this will occur while living on the earth.  Jesus says that God sends His sun and rain on both the good and the evil (Matthew 5:45).  Things happen within our lives that are out of our control, but sometimes these are not based on what we have done.  What we as Christians need to remember is that things on this earth are temporary and that we are upheld by God’s loving hand through these hard times.