When the Fixes Aren't Quick
By Luke McConnell
We live in an instant gratification society. We want no lines at the grocery store, no wait for a table in a restaurant and no delay in getting our Internet connection repaired. I don’t know why or how we got this way because I know from my perspective, life hasn’t always been about instant gratification.
I’ve got some thoughts and opinions, but those are for another time and conversation (spoiler alert: technology).
Instant gratification tendencies also bleed into our spiritual lives. We want our sins resolved quickly instead of having to deal with the long list of consequences that could take months or years to resolve. We want the poor and broken to be whole again in a week without understanding the arduous process.
Then we want our kids to undergo a complete attitude adjustment within two days of employing a new discipline tactic or evening routine. Spoiler alert: NOT POSSIBLE. Mary and I have learned this difficulty through our adoption of Andrew, 13, and Logan, 8, which we finalized in January. There are many times I’ve had to remind myself we’ve only had them in our home for 10 months. That’s not even a year in comparison to the previous lifetime to establish routines, habits and mannerisms—both good and bad.
I want this quick-fix—in this situation, a quick adherence to rules in our household—so Mary and I don’t have to suffer through the process. And make no mistake about it, what we and other adoptive families are experiencing through this process is indeed suffering.
Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We often think of this trouble and suffering as coming from the outside—outside our faith, outside our church and outside our homes. The reality is we’re all broken sinners in need of God’s grace, and so we are all capable of being the source of someone’s suffering.
This adoption process has been a major source of suffering and on some days, a source of major suffering. We want things to change quickly because suffering is not enjoyable. We want to be comfortable and not have the constant urge to rage when one of the boys is intentionally disrespectful to push our buttons. That’s what we want, but that quick fix is not coming.
One of the best arguments from Scripture against instant gratification is that salvation is not a quick fix, either. Yes, our eternity is secure when we put our hope in Jesus, but the Bible mentions several times that there is more to our salvation than a singular moment and decision.
Jude 20-21: “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
Philippians 2:12-13: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
All three of these passages speak to the ongoing work involved in our faith and in our salvation. There is no quick fix. We don’t go from sinner to saint in a moment, a day, a month or a year. And even when we die and go to heaven, we are only a finished product because of the work of Jesus, not because we reached the pinnacle of spiritual growth.
The “instant-gratification mindset” has plagued us in so many ways, spiritually and secularly. My encouragement is to remember the most important thing is that your relationship with God is not a quick fix. It’s a lifelong process and journey, one with ups and downs, triumphs and struggles. If something this meaningful takes until your dying breath to develop, why should the trivial things of life take any less time?
Author Bio
Luke serves as the Cube Director at Council Road. He previously worked at Channel 9 as a sports writer and an account executive. He also serves as the play-by-play voice for Southern Nazarene University athletics. Luke graduated from OU in 2011. He and his wife, Mary, have been members at Council Road since 2012. They have four boys: Andrew, Logan, Jackson and Cameron. Mary teaches third grade at Wiley Post Elementary. They also help lead a home group.