I Want It Now

It is often said that we are a society focused on instant gratification-the desire for things to be delivered to us quickly without having to wait. We get impatient waiting two minutes for the microwave to deliver hot food to us. We get easily frustrated waiting five minutes on hold for an answer to a problem. We will switch aisles at the grocery store trying to find one that is moving faster. I am as guilty (if not more so) than the next person.

Even if this desire for the instant results causes agitation, I really believe that a more accurate description for this syndrome is present gratification. It isn't so much about wanting something instantly as it is our willingness to shortchange our future for immediate pleasure and fulfillment of desire. It is the root of the destruction of relationships (friend & marital), the cause of financial ruin and the explanation behind the shallowness of Christianity as a whole. 

We want things to happen right now, but aren't willing to invest the time, energy, finances and discipline into the process of building it up. It is in the labor of working towards these future goals that our character and reliance on God are developed. It won't happen in one day or one church service, but is the result of daily trusting God and working hard to increase our faith and dependence on Him. 

We have to be willing to wait for the results God has for us and make the hard choice of delayed gratification to receive the greater reward that waits.