As I write this entry, I realize that this may be more of a rant than a rambling. I’m not sure where I heard this, maybe Dave Ramsey. It is the concept of microwave vs. crock pot. I live in a microwave society when many of my life situations require a crock pot.
Let me see if I can explain. When I was younger (college age and young professional) I was in such a hurry to get to my destination of being settled, married, wealthy and I wanted it all right then. I did not want to go through the pain, struggle, and rigors of life to reach a point of “comfort” (this comfort in and of itself is really just male passivity, a topic for another time). What is interesting is that I experienced this feeling during the infancy of cable television, CNN, 24 hour stores, etc. And I certainly was going through this before cell phones, texting, internet, and other forms of instant access. Needless to say, at least when I was young, patience was not one of my virtues. Now, add in all those instant access features of today and imagine what my patience is like now. However, now that I look back, I may not want to repeat the last 20 years or so, but I surely do not want to replace them. At that young age I used to ask God for wisdom because I admired that in Solomon. I now realize, especially after reading through Ecclesiastes a few times, be careful for what I ask for. With wisdom comes many trials and struggles to gain it. And, really, knowing what I know now has not stopped me from having a microwave mentality. Now I want my retirement to be set up now, no waiting, now. Will I ever learn? I can go further and relate it to my spiritual life. I see men doing great things in the kingdom and think to myself, “when am I going to be used for something big like that?
Over the last few years I have realized, as I read over a lot of the stories of the Old Testament heroes, how much time God spent preparing them for the big things He had in store for them. When I look at the lives of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, just to name a few, I see how many years passed for them before God used them for the stories that I read. When I read their stories, it may take me minutes to an hour or so to read each story. What I read is just a snapshot of their lives. I do not get to see the daily “grind” they went through. And when I look at the genealogies (wow, those boring things do come in handy) I see the many years that pass before God’s promises come true. I mean, Abraham was 100 when he got the son He was promised. Jacob waited years for his calling. Moses was 80 when he came back to lead Israel out of slavery…in fact, Moses was 40 years tending sheep before he went back. The stories go on and on. Henry Blackaby in his study Experiencing God, Talks about how God uses many little situations for me to do His work to prepare me for something big He may have for me. Furthermore, God may never use me for something big (or what I perceive as big). I may very well be just one of the many “nameless” of God’s people just doing His work on a daily basis (I know I am not nameless to Him). Either way, I am in the crock pot being prepared, if for nothing else, eternity with God.
So, what is my rant? I have become increasingly aware of our microwave society as of late. Let me start with a personal example and move outward from there. When I took over my first Varsity team (boys basketball), I had aspirations of winning a State Championship, right away! Now, any successful coach should believe he/she could be competing at that level. Otherwise, he/she may never be successful. But, I knew it was going to happen. I perceived I was the one who could do it and I had a great team. It did not happen. Even in the years following, I had some of the best teams our school had fielded, and still no State Championship. It would leave me asking God, “what in the world?” It was years later , in another sport (Girls Softball) that not only was I able to coach a State Championship team, I was fortunate to coach for 6 of them. Now, I do not know if God really cares about the championships that much except that He is interested in what I am interested in (like a father is in his son), but I know He had a hand in my training as a coach. He was essentially saying to me, “Not yet, I have more to teach you about coaching, it’s not just about winning.” I was in the crock pot expecting a microwave result.
Now, as I watch our current society, I see the microwave in action. I watch as our college-age and young professionals want what their parents have now, not seeing that it took years for their parents to get to the point they are now. The parents have been (and are still) in the crock pot. That young generation wants the microwave. In fact, many of my generation were fooled by the microwave, wanted what our parents have, and now are in deep debt trying to get to that point. If we are not careful, this younger generation will be in deep trouble buying into the microwave philosophy. I am watching our high school athlete’s fall into this trap. These athletes will work hard for a short stretch, because coach told them hard work equals wins, and then are dumbfounded when wins don’t come quickly…fooled by the microwave. What is difficult to watch is…many of them give up before it can get better. They have never experienced the full flavor of the crock pot. The stories and examples can go on and on.
So, what is the answer to this societal plight? Unfortunately, I do not have one. I struggle with an answer to give. Right now, in my crock pot, I am good at seeing and identifying the problem. But, for some reason, I am struggling with any wisdom to impart for an answer. Maybe I need to stew some more before I impart any wisdom on the subject. One thing I do know…as I look back on my impatience, I see where God has brought me to and from. I see now the slow cooking and added ingredients that I could not see when I was thrown into the pot. Another view came from a friend I was visiting with just today. I was sharing some of my thoughts on this article and he said, “Man is the microwave, God is the crock pot.” Well said my friend…and I told him I would quote this. Yeah, when I do not wait on God, I am essentially using the microwave. And, I tend to use the microwave a lot. That scares me at times, because Saul didn’t wait on the Lord and he lost his kingdom over it. It relates to another friend’s quote I hear often, “God doesn’t always work quickly, but He will work suddenly.” In prayers I ask and ask and an answer just does not come in the microwave fashion I desire. Then, all of a sudden the answer is there, many times after I have quit praying over the situation. God uses the crock pot. He wants it to be ready correctly, He wants the right ingredients, and He certainly knows the right amount of time it takes to cook.
Like I said early on this may be more of a rant than a rambling. Then again, maybe it’s a rambling rant. One thing is for sure, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you think may be some solutions to the societal dilemma between the microwave and the crock pot. Give me some feedback.
Peace
