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.
About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...