I believe the thought, “I should’ve waited…” crosses
people’s minds all the time. I’ve sat with this thought myself, when I think
about different things I wish I would’ve approached differently, knowing what I
know now. I’ve discovered how unwise it is to make decisions based off
emotions, off of what your family and friends are doing, or rather appear to be doing, and have seen how
detrimental not waiting has been in
the lives of different people I know. It’s a constant reminder to me, of the importance
in doing things God’s way, and the wonderful gift of delayed gratification.
Delayed gratification is defined as resisting a temptation for a smaller and
immediate award, while enduring and holding out for a bigger and better reward.
Basically, short term sacrifices for a long term benefit kind of thing. I believe
that delayed gratification is a sign of maturity. A sign of immaturity is
wanting what you want right away, without thinking of the bigger picture, and
as unwise as it is to handle things this way, I see it happen all the time and
I’m not into it, and will have no parts of it. I believe waiting, and doing
things God’s way will always outweigh what you may perceive everyone else is doing. I’ll issue this warning though:
doing things His way will likely come with criticism, occasional loneliness, and
people thinking you’re trippin’ lol – this often happens to those that deviate
from the path that seems socially normal, or looks like what everyone else is
doing, but I know and have experienced that living within God’s will, and doing
things His way, is the safest place to be. Romans 14:8 reads, “For whether we
live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether
we love therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” If I live and die for Him, what
other people say or think is ultimately, meaningless. Delaying gratification
and doing things God’s way will pay off, and I know from personal experiences,
God rewards obedience and a willingness to approach things, His way. Delayed gratification
is the new cool. Try it out.
I’m a Black educator in my fifth year of teaching middle school English, and in my third as the 8th Grade English PLC (Professional Learning Community) Lead. And while I genuinely enjoy the purposeful work I get to do, seeing the growth of my scholars, and continuing to hone my skills in a content area I’ve loved since I was a little girl, I’ve had to confront some unpleasant experiences in this space. I’d been through much worse when I was an academic advisor at a Christian university. Racism, sexism, harassment, and workplace bullying were sadly norms in that environment. However, some of what I’ve experienced as a Black educator hasn’t been normal … It doesn’t seem normal to be the only Black educator in my department – in a predominantly Black school. One of my Black colleagues once said, “It should look like a Tyler Perry movie in here.” But it doesn’t. It didn’t feel normal being reprimanded in a meeting (during my second year of teaching) by an administrator who went in on...