I want it NOW!
Which do you choose? Now or later? If it is punishment, I suppose we choose later. “Wait until your dad comes home.” Now, in this case, waiting might be the worst part. Or, you hope mom has forgotten by the time dad comes home. Or, how about this one, “We’ll get that later.” Yet, later never seems to come. But, the “let me have it now” attitude, seems to have been perfected in our day and age.
I did a little historical research about getting things now. I found that in 1936 instant Jell-o pudding was invented. Depending on who I read somewhere between 1900 and 1922 instant oatmeal was invented. Quaker Oats introduced an instant oatmeal in 1966, but had already been marketing a “quick oats” for over 40 years. And, then there is our staple drink; coffee. Many of us like to begin our day with a nicely brewed cup of java. I guess people in the past weren’t much better about waiting than we are because it was 1890 that the first instant coffee was introduced. It was in the 1940’s, however, that the onslaught of freeze-dried coffees hit the market. One of the first was “Taster’s Choice” by Nescafe. The ad campaigns marketed it to the fast paced society of the 50’s.
Today we are simply inundated with more and more instant gratification choices. Instead of calling someone and hear their voice we simply text. Instead of using our writing skills with pen and pear, we just type an email. Instead of printing pictures on paper, we keep them on our phones or computers. You never know when you might want to look at the picture from three years ago stuck in the middle of that pile of 50-100 gig of photos!
On Tuesday I suggested that we learn to slow down and smell the coffee. I wonder how you have done so far this week. Did you take any extra time to just sit quietly with the Lord. Were you “still” to get to know God? (Ps. 46:10) Did you take something off your schedule so you could spend time with your children, your spouse, your friends, or even your church? Have you slowed down at all?
Time has a way of racing along. Just yesterday I found some pictures that made my very sad. My high school, Springfield High School in Akron Ohio, was torn down to make room for a newer, shiner one. The pictures brought back a flood of memories. Walking the halls, going to class, being part of sports, staging a sit-in…oh, so many memories. But, after 43 years, I guess it’s ok for it to be demolished. In fact, I looked at when it was built and found that the newer section was built in 1950! It was newer when I was there. Yet, progress can be disappointing.
So, don’t let time just slip away. Don’t waste your time on trivial pursuits that will amount to nothing. Invest in things that will reap eternal rewards. Slow down to brew some real coffee, to make some real pudding and to cook some real oatmeal. And, instead of just spending minutes with the Word and the Lord, invest an hour or so. You’ll be glad you did.
