In my last post my thoughts were not complete and I’d like to add more. Wikipedia defines Gratification as the pleasurable emotional reaction of happiness in response to a fulfilment of a desire or goal; and describes instant gratification as to label the satisfactions gained by impulsive behaviours; choosing now over tomorrow. And delayed gratification is described as a virtue and a skill, giving preference to long term goals over immediate ones. We’ve all heard the phrase “work now and play later”, I’ve never been a fan of that phrase and I’m pretty sure I’ve rebelled against it most of my life. To me that phrase means (work now) the now must be absent of enjoyment, fun, and happiness and (play later) what if later never comes… I’ve always said, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and then I’ve missed out on enjoying myself today… I have no idea where I got this form of thinking from, maybe someone said to me once and I took it on as a truth in my life. Even now when Matt my husband decides it’s time to put our nose down to the grindstone and get some work around the house and garden done, I think to myself well if I’m going to work I want to enjoy myself at the same time, I want to create a fun atmosphere while we do the work, or take breaks so we can enjoy ourselves at the same time.. he just wants to get it done and taking a break is going to draw out the process – work now and play later! In the few years we’ve been married I think we have both rubbed off on each other in this area, he can crack a smile now while working and I can focus on the work… however we haven’t quite mastered it yet:)
I know that not everyone reading my posts are Christians but you might believe that there is a spiritual world that we can’t see, or may have different beliefs. I want to share my Christian perspective on instant gratification vs. delayed gratification, I believe that we are dealing with a spiritual battle, the battle between good and evil. That’s why the things that aren’t good for us are so easy to do, and the things that are good for us take discipline, intentionality, determination and purpose. The “evil one” does not want us to live a happy life, full of peace and joy, he wants to steal that away from us. Bad example, but how do you poison a dog?(No I’ve never tried) It wont eat the poison directly, you need to make it taste good… that’s what the “evil one” does to us… makes bad choices taste good. Then there is God, I believe that he has written his “law” on each of our hearts, so deep inside we know what the right and good choice is, we know the difference between good and bad and that is probably why making the wrong choice for us creates dis-ease.
The Bible is my handbook to life. My favourite verse is Romans 12:2, it says;
…be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I want to know what God’s good, PLEASING and perfect will is. When I first became a Christian I wished that someone had taught me the truths and instructions of the bible in my teens so I could have prevented all the heart ache and turmoil I suffered because of my bad choices and impulsive behaviours due to the desire for pleasure and instant gratification. I was a Christian when I was 13 but gave up God at 16 and that’s when my life took a turn (use your imagination and you’ll guess what I got up to)… Thank God for never letting go… I came back 10 years later. The standard of living that the bible calls us to is not easy but I can see that the rewards are huge. I know that if I could follow all the words of Jesus in my everyday life I would be so blessed, but I’m a work in progress and probably will be until the day I die… to be perfect is not the goal nobody is perfect and we will all fail at trying to be! I know that God’s will is for people in this life is to take care of their bodies (keep healthy), have a positive mind, a noble character, have a heart full of faith, keep healthy relationships with others (love your neighbour as you love yourself), and love Him. There is so much more I could say about this since it’s a big topic but I’ll keep it short… My Christian values motivate me to make decisions in my everyday life that will give me the outcomes I’m looking for. When my choices or impulses stray from those values, I have a sense of dissatisfaction, inconguity and unease.
Here’s some food for thought… What are your values or core beliefs and do they motivate you to make certain choices? Do you feel like me when you make decisions that stray away from your values? Here is a list of values that I Google searched.
http://www.selfcounseling.com/help/personalsuccess/personalvalues.html
Woman | Wife | Mum 