The Marshmellow Test

Nearly forty years ago, an experiment was conducted on a group of four-year-olds.  The test was simple.  Each was given a single marshmellow and told they could eat it right away.  However, if they waited twenty minutes, they could have two marshmellows instead. 

The results were fascinating.  Some gobbled the single confection immediately without a second thought.  Others struggled for several minutes before finally succumbing to temptation.  Still others pushed the plate away or even turned their backs on the treat in order to last the full twenty minutes. 

The most interesting part of this experiment, though, was what happened in these kids' lives as they grew.  Those that were able to delay gratification were psychologically better adjusted, more dependable and even scored significantly higher on their SATs. 

Which makes me wonder.... if we can't wait for the little things in life, how will we stand to wait for the stuff that really matters?

For example, I have a friend who absolutely can not wait to open her Christmas presents.  It is such a challenge, in fact, that she pre-opens all of her gifts before Christmas morning every year....then re-wraps them! 

Many others can't stand the thought of waiting nine whole months to be surprised at the gender of their newborn. 

If we can't even wait for these simple little things, how in the world will we be able to wait for the amazing things God has for us? 

Will we wait for Mr. Right, or settle for Mr. Right Now?  Will we grow bitter waiting for healing, or trust that He will heal in His time, in His way?  Will we take the job that somewhat matches our skill set, or wait for the dream job or business that's just around the corner?

Will we accept a counterfeit plan for our lives instead of waiting for the perfect plan that God has for us?

Delayed gratification is never fun.  Sometimes we have to push temptation away or maybe even turn our backs on things that we know deep down are not His best for us. 

Waiting for His timing and His plan, however, works those faith muscles..... and, sometimes, may even result in twice the blessings.



Background Noise

I was becoming annoyed as I strolled from aisle to aisle on my biweekly Costco run.  Despite a smaller-than-usual crowd shopping that day, it was so noisy that I felt myself getting more and more tense.  Finally, I turned down another aisle, stopped my cart to grab a few things off the shelf and was suddenly stunned to find that the store had gone completely silent.  It was then that I realized I was the problem.  All of the annoying noise had been coming from me and my squeaky cart!

I've found that background noise can sometimes be a problem in my mind too.  Occasionally, I find myself singing a song with a catchy tune that I heard several days ago.  Which isn't a problem if the lyrics are also good.  Unfortunately, that isn't always the case, and do I really want to be singing negative messages to myself over and over again?  (i.e. "I would catch a grenade for ya...")

Other times, I realize I have a tape of self-talk running in the background, which is seldom positive and encouraging.  For example, statements like, "Ah, go ahead and eat that eggnog pie, it's the holidays!" can unconsciously sabotage things I'm trying to accomplish.

I've discovered that tapping twice on my smart phone's ON button brings up all of the apps running behind the scenes.  I'm frequently surprised by how much is going on without me knowing it!  Having an awareness of what's running through my subconscious is the start of helping me to make positive changes.

Also, controlling what I'm putting into my head, such as books, movies, music, etc., makes a huge impact on what I think about during the day.  Being purposeful in selecting good things and weeding out the not-so-good things is powerful.

Finally, focus is important.  Just as a driver steers his car toward what he is looking at (and hopefully it's the road ahead!), so will I tend to move toward that which I focus on.  By keeping my eyes on the One who created me, everything else falls to the periphery and can be handled with a purposeful awareness and a Heavenly perspective.   

Thankful

I am thankful for the Light of my life, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

an amazingly talented, loving and hilarious husband,

two fabulous, creative, intelligent children,

a warm, comfortable home,

plenty of nutritious food to eat,

cars that run,

loving pets,

faithful friends,

loving family,

creative gifts,

a purpose to pursue,

and

hope for tomorrow

Clutter

Shopping for Christmas gifts tends to remind me how much stuff I already have.  And, that it's been a while since it was sorted and cleaned out.  I've noticed that, in addition to all of the clutter in my home, there tends to be a lot of untended clutter in other parts of my life too.

My days are sometimes filled with unimportant, even useless (can you say iphone games?!) activities that clutter up what could be a productive day.

My thoughts are frequently unfocused and tend to get cluttered up dwelling on things that are outside of my control or even, dare I say it, none of my business.

Even relationships can become cluttered with baggage from the past that was never sorted and cleaned out.

So how do I solve the problem of clutter?  I believe it is possible, piece by piece, to remove distractions so that I can think more clearly, perform more productively and even become a better listener to those around me.

Frequently, a helping hand from He-Hauls may be required to dispense with some of the bigger junk. And, occasionally, there may be times where you just have to throw in a grenade, duck for cover and start over from scratch. 

Radical? Yes.  But, out of the ashes, a new foundation can be laid; a foundation that is stronger because of its past trials.  In addition, inviting the Master Mover to park His truck outside, will allow me to daily remove the things that threaten to clutter up my life.  And, as He removes them, piece by piece, He will leave behind His uncluttered peace.

Bus Stop



Life is a little like riding the bus. 

We decide where we want to go, get on the right route and, eventually, arrive at our destination.  For example, say the Lord puts it on your heart to be a teacher.  You pick a college that has a great program in that field, sign up for classes and in four years you've reached your goal and can start sending out resumes.

Life can be like that.  Or, sometimes, not so much.

Sometimes, we miss our stop. 

So, what happens when you think you heard Him say one thing and it just doesn't happen?  Perhaps going to college never materialized because of financial challenges.  Or, you went to school, but changed majors to something else entirely.  Or maybe you even got off the bus early and dropped out of school before completing your goal.

In essence, you've missed your original stop. 

Have you missed this window of opportunity entirely?  Will the bus do another lap around the same route to give you another chance?  Or is there another opportunity just around the bend that's good too...just different?   Did you even hear Him correctly??

Or, is it possible, like in Narnia, that the signs look different down here?  You look around and see that you really are a teacher - teaching your own children at home, or maybe sharing words of wisdom with a friend, or even instructing your dog on how to be a decent member of society? 

One day I will be asking the Bus Driver these questions.  But, even though I may have missed some amazing things that He had for me at a previous stop, due to my own laziness, ignorance or willful disobedience, I know He works all things together for good. 

And, the next stop will be my best so far because He is the One driving me there.

The Elusive Fruit

There is nothing quite like sinking your teeth into  mealy fruit.  There's a lot of things better, but nothing quite like it. 

Having married a man who spent considerable time growing up in "apple country", I've been well versed on finding the perfect apple.  It must be slightly green by the stem, smooth to the touch, no pits in the skin and can only be found in the early to mid-fall.  The rest of the year, fruit is no longer fresh from the field but brought out periodically from cold storage.  Definitely not the same as fresh. 

You can tell when someone has found the perfect apple.  You hear the juicy crunch, and see the slow smile begin to creep across their face.  Pure pleasure and a brief break from the world. 


Finding time to truly rest can be just as daunting as seeking out that perfect apple.  There is a season for all things, including working and resting from that work.  I believe our amazing Creator has designed us to live from rest to rest.  

Our day, one revolution around our own axis, begins and ends with rest.  Our months go from a new moon rising and falling; and our year, a trip around the sun, begins on New Year's Day with a day of rest and ends on New Year's eve, with an evening of fun and, hopefully, reflection.  Rest to rest.

Only our week has nothing to revolve around.  It is strictly a God-created cycle especially made for us to know how to rest.  In His wisdom, He knew that we have the potential to run from thing to thing, never stopping for a break.  And so, He modeled it for us. 

But how do we rest when there's so much to be accomplished?  And for Him, no less??  And, when we do find the time, what are we supposed to do to be rested?  Does it mean sleeping in?  Playing with the kids?  Going golfing with the fellas?  What does it mean to truly rest? 

I believe finding the rest and refreshment we seek, is like digging in that apple bin.  We tune out the world for that moment; we are focused on something outside our usual activity and, in that quiet moment, the Lord can speak.  He can show us the perfect fruit.  It is then that He gives us rest, true rest, as a loving gift.  It is not something we find on our own, but as we take time away from our usual activities, time to pause and reflect, in that quiet space when our focus is on Him, He reveals it.

Crunch.  Ahhh....

What If...

Well, I can no longer say I never win anything. As of this week, I have now won two amazing prizes in my lifetime. One, a large leafy plant that threatens to one day become something huge enough for Rick Moranis to deal with, and two, a movie on DVD called simply What if...

 

It's a story about a man who is gently forced (is that an oxymoron?) to see what his life might have been like had he made a different choice at a major crossroads in his life. Kind of It's a Wonderful Life in reverse.

 

After watching it, the idea of “what if...” got me thinking.  What if I started thinking outside the box?

 

What if...learning a foreign language wasn't as hard as I thought? I've found that spending a mere 10 minutes a day 'gently forces' these new words into my subconscious until the new language starts to become intuitive.  This became apparent one day when I mispronounced "Chinco de Mayo" on the back of someone's t-shirt coming out of Costco.  It was then I knew my Italian letters and sounds had become second nature.

 

What if....everything I knew about healthy eating was wrong. Gary Taubes, a highly acclaimed scientific journalist, tackles this controversial topic in his exhaustive tome, Good Calories, Bad Calories, and, since reading said tome, I have made different decisions because he took the time to think outside the box.

 

What if....you could write a novel in thirty days? My daughter and her cousins are about to stretch their imaginations and find out.  I'm looking forward to reading them on December first!

What if... the extremely long, well-thought out and detailed email I wrote to my cousin regarding homeschooling that was subsequently lost when my computer went down unexpectedly, what if that was supposed to happen because Someone wanted me to say something different? 

 

What if...God really was bigger than my problems?

What if...He really does have a plan and purpose for my life?

What if...even though I don't understand why He's allowed certain trials and challenges in my life, He really does know best?

What if....because He unconditionally loves me, I can, after all, unconditionally trust Him...with everything.