How often do we let our impatience or need for quick satisfaction lead us to forsake the great thing for the lesser good thing?
He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (Genesis 25:30)
Do you remember the story of Jacob, Esau, and the birthright? Esau came in from a hunt and found his younger twin brother cooking. Famished, he demanded a bowl of the stew. Jacob agreed on the condition that Esau give up his birthright to his younger brother.
“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” (Genesis 25:32)
Jacob received the great blessing and birthright. And Esau got a bowl of good stew.
How often are we blinded to the blessings we have because of a need for immediate satisfaction? What do we give up because of our impatience?
Patience is rewarded
One of the things I am trying to teach myself with my no-spend year is that what seems like a need in the moment is often just a want.
I’m trying to teach myself contentment, but also patience. Because I am not a patient person.
I’m also sometimes short-sighted. As Esau was. He only saw the stew and stopped valuing the most important thing. His impatience led him to squander not just material possessions his father would have passed down to him, but his place in the lineage that would one day lead to Jesus.
When we let impatience or a rush to please ourselves blind us to the great things coming our way, we miss out. By short-cutting God’s plan, we lose out on the great in favor of just what looks good in the moment.
When I read this story recently, I was reminded of the famous 1970s Stanford marshmallow experiment. Children were given a choice between a marshmallow immediately or two if they waited. Follow-up studies checked to see which group had better life outcomes.
Are we the type to take the marshmallow? Or do we wait for the better reward?
God offers us more than a marshmallow. Better than some red stew. He doesn’t have only the “good” thing planned for us.
If we wait patiently and follow His path for us, we will see the blessing. The “great” thing. The amazing thing.
We are chosen people. Adopted sons and daughters of the Most High God. We can trust Him to take care of us, to provide for us.
Our patience to await His timing will always be rewarded.
Have a blessed Monday!
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