“The woman was convinced. She saw that they tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.”
Genesis 3:6 (NLT)
The fall of mankind can be summed up by the idea that humanity decided to seek wisdom on their own terms instead of trusting and fearing God. And since then, humanity has been falling to its death, “for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a).” Humanity decided to lean on its own strength instead of trusting God and his timing.
And our complex kids are the best reminder of this.
My AuDHD daughter has displayed this natural human inclination more times than I can count. Waiting is HARD and takes a lot of self-control, which is something her neurodivergent brain has a limited supply on. Remember the children from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory? Their biggest issue was a greedy desire for what they wanted when they wanted it. One such character sang this devotional’s title: I want it now.
Let’s talk dessert. Kayla gets dessert…a lot. Probably too often. And, I admit, I go against the common advise of not rewarding with food. In my house, candy is the ultimate reward. Although, now that she’s older, money is becoming to best motivator.
Sweets and even meals have a certain timing to them. Because Kayla is sensory seeking, she would binge eat if not monitored. The last thing I want is for Kayla to fill up on junk only to not eat her anything nutritious.
It’s all about timing. Dessert comes after dinner. Kayla might say, “I want it now,” but the girl has to wait. I want Kayla to enjoy the yummier side of life. Fruit may be nature’s dessert, but let’s be real—and this is coming from a person who LOVES fruit—fruit alone doesn’t often satisfy the sweet tooth.
God wants us to enjoy the sweeter parts of life as well. He wants us to gain wisdom and experience all the delicious fruits of the Spirit. But his timing is EVERYTHING. When we jump ahead of schedule and take matters into our own hands, by our own strength, only disaster follows.
We can lose blessings when we lose our patience.
Look at King Saul in 1 Samuel 13, where he doesn’t wait for Samuel to preform the sacrifice before Saul’s army faced the Philistines. This impatient selfishness got his anointing removed, and God established David as the forever dynasty in his place.
There are plenty of times Kayla never gets what she want because she throws a fit instead of patiently waiting. God is a better parent than I could EVER be. As our Heavenly Father, he want to bless us (Luke 11:13).
As we make our children wait, let’s be patient with God as well. Remember, His timing is perfect.
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