The Power of Delayed Gratification
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” – Psalm 27:14 It’s so important as believers that we understand the power of delayed gratification. One famous study in the 1970s was done at Stanford University. It was on delayed discounting, which is a scientific way of saying delayed gratification. They offered children the opportunity to eat one marshmallow now, or have two marshmallows later. They would leave the room and come back 15 minutes later. Some of the kids ate the marshmallow right away, and some of the kids waited. In the video, you can see they are tortured with this decision. The kids that waited and ate two marshmallows were the subjects of a study that spanned 30-plus years. These children who waited to eat the two marshmallows did better in every aspect of life. They did better financially, in their careers, and
