The Gift of Delayed Gratification
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13 Something that a lot of us struggle with is delayed gratification. One of the most interesting studies conducted on this subject was undertaken by a scientist at Stanford University in 1972. Commonly known as the “marshmallow test,” it included children who were promised either one marshmallow or pretzel stick (depending on their preference) immediately, or two if they waited for fifteen minutes while looking at the objects of their reward. Though it must have been taxing to stare at their prizes for that long, the kids who chose the double portion ultimately got more. In fact, those who were able to
