WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14
“‘I want (it)…now before you die.’”
Luke 15:12 (NLT2)
LIES THAT LEAD US AWAY FROM HOME: THE THRILL OF THE MOMENT WILL SATISFY
Years ago, psychologist Walter Mischel conducted an experiment on a group of four-year olds. Each child was offered a marshmallow, and was told that they could have it now, or if they could wait several minutes, they could have two. Some children grabbed the marshmallow on the spot but many of them were able to hold off. The interesting part of the study was that Mischel followed up on the children as adults and he discovered that those who didn’t eat their marshmallows that day were generally more self-motivated, successful in school and considered emotionally intelligent. On the other hand, those who simply couldn’t wait generally had low self-esteem and had suffered in school, branded by both their teachers and parents as being stubborn, envious and easily frustrated.
The younger son in Luke 15 didn’t want to wait for his “marshmallow.” He didn’t want to wait for the inheritance he would get after his father passed away. Much like the infamous singer Queen who sang, “I want it all and I want it now,” the younger son wasn’t willing to wait for what was best and eventually paid a great price. One of the amazing things about this story is that the father granted his son what he wanted and allowed him the freedom to leave. The prodigal son abused that freedom and ended up almost destroying his life. He took the blessings of the father and began to destroy his life.
Similarly, God gives us great freedom. He doesn’t make us choose Him and He doesn’t force us to wait for what’s best. 1 Corinthians 6:12 teaches, “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. We can do what we want but what we want isn’t always good. Most of us don’t really enjoy waiting for anything. But most of us can also relate to making impulse decisions that ended up costing us more in the end than we bargained for. Is there anything God is telling you to wait for that you are tempted to go ahead and do it your own way?
