Instant gratification. Doing something/taking measures to reap the most out of something as fast as possible to feel this rush of adrenaline. But without thinking about the long term consequences.
Ahaha so during my house quarantine, I’ve been so wanting to go shopping with my mom, just two gals hehe and so we made sure to carefully and safely go on a bit of a spree just for an hour and a half before returning to my break quarantine hehe (also this was not forced upon- I’ve been meaning to stay in my house and truly rest with my family, with myself, and grow! As well as take super precautionary measures to be safe). So during our drive there, we were talking about this very idea and our tendency to do things just for a temporary, instant gratification. In the moment, it’s quite tempting to fall into doing things a certain way to get the most benefit out of it as soon as possible. It’s human nature to be a little greedy from time to time and do things that will be the best for ourselves without thinking about how it might affect others or the consequence it might have even on ourselves some time later down the line. However, it backfires easily and the temporary joy that we felt during the moment is gone, replaced with a more serious matter to deal with as a result of choosing that path of instant gratification.
I’ve thought about this a lot recently. What does it mean to be truly satisfied with what I am learning and understanding/appreciating at a deeper level or am I just cramming and going through the motions for one exam? It’s a bad habit that I personally feel I’ve developed, but I’m trying to change this mentality during my spring break and really be in peace with where I am right now at this current stage of life. It’s too easy to fall into such temptation but it takes a lot of discipline and grit to resist and think about the later consequences.
Let me give you a failed attempt at this coincidentally right while I’m blogging about it LOL
I know I shouldn’t be eating anything past 10pm (hehe @joyce our goals) and especially something not healthy but seeing my brother AND dad eat ice cream, I couldn’t resist and gave in. I know that in the moment, it tastes amazinggg and colddd and simply so good, but tomorrow, or even right after I finish eating it, I know it won’t make me feel good but O WELL AHHAHA this is what break is for- to be at peace of mind and spend some quality time with family as much as I can get a hold of. So after thinking about my situation, family and having fun outweighs all else so I gave in :)) And it did turn out to be a very nice decision (as I would have expected, though tomorrow morning I may think otherwise). But this was a very simple and not as serious example. Imagine applying this to a skill or later life choice that can shape your entire future. Then that would definitely require a more deeper and sincere contemplation, something that I am hoping to be able to do better going forwards.
Instant gratification. Kind of a scary but an essential life thought. Some say that it’s another way of testing one’s patience. But nothing to be afraid of, just important to keep in the back of our minds our greater intentions, but also while thinking about the consequences or effects it may have on ourselves or on others :))
For we live by faith, not by sight.
Signing off with Faith Hope Love & Joy, Grace
^^prettay sunset hehe
This reminded me of a Bible story of Jacob and Esau back in the Old Testament. Here’s a short snippet:
Genesis 25:29-34
Now Jacob cooked a stew, and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die, so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
It was this instant gratification of satisfying Easu’s hunger that made him sell his birthright, which later proved to be consequential. Honestly, based on a case to case scenario it may be different, but this is just one situation of testing this idea of patience and not really considering the effects down the line. But nothing to fear, just simply asking for wisdom from God will help us to be more discerning and better at making decisions especially ones that may be the most critical.
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