Stressed Out: Instant Gratification

“Calgon, take me away!!!” – Remember that phrase?  It was a phrase used for a bath product during the 1980s (at least that is when I remember it, but I think it was older, even). It was advertised to help people who wanted to “get away” from their busy and hectic life by taking a bath, using this product. The commercial would have various stressors shown and the woman would say “Calgon, take me away!” with a connotation it was pleading with the product.

The woman in the advertisement wanted to be taken away from all of this stress very soon. Who wouldn’t? Stress is taxing and not good on the body, so why not have it taken away as soon as possible.

The reality of life is that those stresses are still there, but we aim to get away through immediate, yet temporary means. Sunday, we looked at the third in our four-part series called “Stressed Out” and specifically looked at how wanting something ‘right now’ can cause one to be stressed out.  Here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

• Adjust Your Time Table ~ When I am traveling (or when someone is coming to see me) I like to know when I will arrive. The quicker to get from point A to point B is what I am shooting for. However, as situations may come up, I may not make it to point B as quickly as I was hoping. So, I can adjust my time table to say I will be arriving at a different time, still arriving. In life we can take on that similar mindset. When something is not getting here as soon as I would like – answered prayer, phone call, mail, etc. I can learn to see that God will take care of it in His time.
• Take Advantage of the Wait ~ When things are delayed, brainstorm other ways in which you can utilize your time. De-stress yourself by looking at the bright side of the time that is made available to you, in the wait, to do something useful. Send someone a note/text of encouragement, call someone to see how they are doing, take on another useful project, or find something else to do while you wait.
• Be patient ~ Simply said. Also, understand you cannot always receive what you want and when you want.

Enjoy the time that you are not receiving “instant gratification”…you never know what God is using you for in that time!