The Marshmallow Test
Watch the video by clicking the link below.
http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/14675/The-Marshmallow-Test
Is it just me, or are you craving a marshmallow, some cocoa and a nap right about now? When I stumbled upon this video it made me laugh and smile watching those kids. On a side note, I mostly interact with adults, and it is so fun to watch the raw, gut reactions of children. Beyond the cute factor of this video, it also made me think deeply of my own life journey.
Like the kids, God's instructions for life are pretty straightforward. The kids were asked to wait and they would receive another marshmallow. Simply put, God's instructions for me are to love Him and love others (Luke 10:27). Simple enough, right? Wrong! The instructions are much more complicated than that. It's not just a check list, Love God, check, Love Others, check, I'm good! It's a whole way of doing life. As Jesus says in Matthew 5:46, it's easy to love those who love you, but what about the others? Will you love the person who got promoted over you? Will you love the person who said something bad behind your back? Will you love the person who cut you off?
If the complexity of transforming your life to follow God's rules isn't enough, there are also things in our culture that distract or deter us from following the instructions. America tells us we should strive to "have it all". Money, power, home, family, a career, it's the dream our parents and grandparents would talk about. Striving for these things make it difficult to keep the focus on Gods plan. Like the kids, we want to follow the rules, but occasionally, we just want to smell the marshmallow, or even dream about what it would be like to eat the marshmallow. Like we were thinking while watching the video, I imagine God saying, "Just wait, I told you what I have for you. Stay focused and on course. Don't try to smell it or taste it, because it will be too hard to stop thinking about it!"
So the question is, what marshmallows are sitting in front of you right now? Is there an opportunity to make a lot of money, if you just hide part of the truth? Are you lying to your boss to get a promotion? Are you paying your high mortgage payment or car payment instead of tithing what you know God has asked you to tithe? You could grab it, and maybe no one would ever know. Maybe you've already grabbed it, and you keep taking it over and over. But you still hear that small voice saying, "Just wait, I have something better." God is trying to give you the opportunity to follow His way. I encourage you to stop, pray, and wait to see what the Lord will do.
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