Psalm 27:14Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
My daughter, Sarah, and son-in-law, John, stop by with Virginia Rose to pick up a few items from Christmas. They can only stay a few minutes as they have errands to run.
But, Virginia doesn't understand.
She spots the cloth Advent calendar we let her play with just the day before. Pointing at it, lip curled into a pout, she begins to fuss and clamor. We know what she wants, but there isn't time to comply with her wishes.
"How do we teach her delayed gratification at this age?" John asks while Virginia rocks and whines in his arms.
"Distract her," I promptly advise. "Remove her from the temptation."
Immediately, Danny, aka "Papa", takes his cue.
He jumps in front of Virginia, makes funny noises and faces while gently poking her ticklish tummy.
In seconds, she transforms from cranky to cuteness. All smiles and laughter!
"You better scoot while the going is good," I say.
They agree.
Hastily, Sarah and John, with a now contented Virginia in tow, head out the door.
~
We live in an age of instant gratification. Our technology encourages this mindset. At the click of a mouse or a remote or a cellphone button, we are instantaneously in touch with the world.
We expect to get our way right away.
No delay.
No waiting.
But, it is an illusion.
Because, real life calls for all kinds of pauses and postponements.
And, patience . . .
We wait for Christmas. For New Year's Day. Our birthday. Our wedding day. Our anniversary. Vacation. Easter . . .
We may grow restive for that special time to arrive, yet we wait in hope. Hope for the joys these days will bring. Hope for the memories they will make.
In hope, our gratification is delayed.
With hope, we can wait for anything.
For good things come to those who wait. Especially, to those who wait upon the Lord. Who trust in His timing and in His judgment.
They will one day know eternal gratification in Him.
Are you waiting, in patience and in hope, upon the Lord?
Will you pray with me?
Let us be ever mindful, Father, that Your time is not ours. Help us to have the patience to wait with grace for the good things You have in store for us. Let us wait in hope. Amen.
Readings
Psalms 20, 21:1-7 (8-14) or 23, 27
Isaiah 25:1-9
Revelation 1:9-20
John 7:53-8:11
We do tend to either always be waiting, with anticipation , for some future event to arrive, or perhaps reflecting on the events of the past. That can definitely distract us from God. I'd say, and this is just me, that we don't necessarily have to wait on the Lord, for he is already here. We just have to open our hearts up to him in each moment and let him enter into them.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. :) I love hearing about your little granddaughter..she is so sweet!
Wonderful encouragement Martha, and something we all need to keep our eyes fixed on going forward; the Hope of our Savior, not the "quick fixes" of the world.
ReplyDeleteHave a Blessed Day!
Hi, Jessica! Thanks so much for dropping in today.
ReplyDeleteI love your comment that we needn't wait upon the Lord, for He is already here. Oh, yes, He is! It IS all about us opening the eyes of our hearts to see Him.
Thanks for the compliment, too!
May every blessing be yours in the new year!
Love, love, love the photo! What a Doll!! I don't know if you can really teach one that young about 'delayed gratification' but perfectly handled situation ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Linda, for dropping in today. :)
ReplyDeleteShe sure is my little angel, even when she is fussy which, thankfully, isn't often. The situation? Well, we did the best we knew how!
Blessings to you in the new year!
Oh Martha! You know I just posted my long awaited post and this is one of the things that I have written about - what a coincidence and so true!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this lovely post! Happy New Year to you and your family!
thank you for this! I am in the middle of this now with my kids...as with all things, its much easier to teach what I practice! My oldest daughter recently started taking karate and before they take certain actions they say "patience"! Its a good reminder for me...I've lived most of my life wanting now -- work in progress :)
ReplyDeleteinstant gratification...don't I and many wish it could be like that always.....sometimes I bury my head and wish really hard and expect that wish to come true and instant gratification to be here....Thank you...As always...XOXOXOXOXO
ReplyDeleteHi, Amy and Bonnie, thanks so much for stopping by today!
ReplyDelete@Amy - Oh, it's such a difficult concept to teach children and, as you say, to practice it ourselves. I'm glad your daughter is taking karate - what a terrific discipline this is! Yes, it does teach patience and practicing of skill without ever expecting to be perfect the first time around.
@Bonnie - You have reminded me of the old saying: "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride" . . . We all long for our dreams and wishes to come true. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't, but I'm convinced we have to look for the blessing in it all . . .
Blessings and a happy new year to you both!