Delayed Gratification

Delayed gratification. Or you may remember the idea as deferred gratification. These are terms you probably haven’t encountered in quite a while. Do you even recall what it means?

The ability to forego an immediate small reward for a larger reward at a later date.

Delaying a want or dream seems to be a way of thought left behind with the advancement of the technological era. With most of our desires at our fingertips these days, we have become a society that has no patience to delay anything. Think about your level of patience on a scale of one to ten when you are waiting for your computer to boot.

In this instant society, Siri can answer just about any question I have (as long as I speak clearly and precisely to her) within a minute. The microwave will present my dinner from frozen to piping hot in five minutes or less. Amazon can have a package at my door the next day if I order early enough (and am willing to pay the cost of next day shipping).

With all the conveniences so readily available it is little wonder that we have abandoned the idea of delaying our wants or dreams to a future moment in time.

But, if we look at a situation from the end to beginning rather than in the normal order of beginning to end, the value of time can be seen more clearly. My career is in finance so I will use an example which shows the value of time as it relates to money.

You have a choice in life to indulge and gratify your wants for shiny new things in the here and now or save the money instead and invest it.

Rather than thinking about the $200 a month you should save for twenty years instead of buying new expensive clothes or fancy makeup (these are my weaknesses), or new cars or over-sized houses, concentrate on the total amount of money you will possess after twenty years of consistent saving.

$200 a month invested at 3% interest for twenty years will total $64,489. You will have invested $48,000. The rest is interest earned. If you start at age 20, you could accumulate this total by age 40!

What about the same $200 at 3% interest for forty years? $180,963!

You will have invested $96,000 and earned $84,963 in interest! That averages out to $2,117 earned each month! Wish I had understood the value of saving and delayed gratification at 20 years of age.

During the delayed years you choose to wear less expensive clothing, live in a more moderate home, and drive a vehicle that might not get appreciative looks from others and might even receive a little derision if it is that homely, so that in years to come you will have more financial security.

Delaying or deferring comforts and desires in the here and now requires patience, perseverance, and faith that something good will come of it.

Recently, I was thumbing through a book entitled Little Books About big Things –The Bible by William Mackay. The book consists of interesting tidbits listed in the Bible not well known by the general populace. One of the questions asked was “How long did it take Noah to build the ark?” The answer? 

100 years! Whew! That’s a loooooong time. Longer than most of us will live on the earth. Talk about perseverance.

Noah knew something his cohabitants on the earth did not know. He had a special Word from God about why he needed to build the thing, how well it needed to be built, and that ultimately it would not only save his life and the lives of his family, but preserve the future of the animal kingdom as well as humanity.

When you think about it from that perspective a hundred years does not seem like such a long time commitment. It seems like a small price to pay for such a huge reward. What kept Noah going day after day when he became weary, endured derision from his fellow man, and the rains did not come?

• Noah had faith that God would keep His Word.
• He viewed the project or goal from the ending to the beginning rather than vice versa.
• He could have enjoyed the easy life for a hundred years but knowing what was at stake, he worked steadily toward building a vessel in which the inhabitants could live comfortably until the coming crisis subsided.
• He was willing to sacrifice his current comfort for a future reward.
• He spoke to others about the goal he was working to accomplish.
•   2 Peter 2:5 describes Noah as a “preacher of righteousness” which makes me think he warned others of the coming flood and explained his reasons for building such a gargantuan boat.
• Speaking your long-term goals cements them in your own mind as well as keeps you accountable. After all, who wants to announce he is working toward a goal and then not complete it?

What about you? Are you making any sacrifices now for the future?