We live in a time of immediate gratification. We want everything NOW and any delay can send us over the edge and potentially ruin our day. Waiting an extra 60 seconds for our coffee at the trendy coffee shop or an extra 30 seconds for a page to load on our latest internet search and we are at our wit’s end!
What if we experience a bump in the road of life…. a health issue, a relational issue, a financial issue, or a loss of someone or something? We feel like our world is coming to an end. How will we ever survive our latest tragedy?
This is “sprint thinking”. Quick! What can we do to fix this? There has to be something that will ease the pain, cure the illness, stop the other person from making a bad decision, keep someone from leaving you, or just simply “fix” your spouse from doing that annoying thing that is driving you crazy!!
God is showing me that He intends for us to have marathon thinking NOT sprint thinking. Life is a journey with many ups and downs. We can’t expect to only have ups and then think the world is ending in a down. Maybe we should not only be grateful for the ups but also for the downs. In the downs is where you will often find the most blessings and your greatest growth. When things aren’t going our way is often the time we seek His face the most. It’s when we draw near to Him in our desperation for some relief from the pain we are experiencing.
More than desiring that immediate relief, we need to trust that God is working everything out for our good (even when it doesn’t look that way). One thing that we can trust 100% is that God is a good God and He loves us more than we can possibly fathom. If we can truly grasp that and rest in Him, then we can change our thinking from sprint to marathon. Life is a journey, a marathon. Take a deep breath and run the marathon with confidence and strength that can only be found in a personal relationship with the One who created you.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 NLT https://www.bible.com/116/rom.8.28.nlt
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 NLT https://www.bible.com/116/jas.1.2.nlt
