“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”- Romans 8:25
Twenty-five years ago Richard Thaler, a professor of behavioral science and economics at the University of Chicago, posed a simple question:
“Would you prefer one apple in one year or two apples in one year and one day?”
Thaler’s survey found most people would wait that extra day. Then Thaler changed the equation:
“Would you rather have one apple today or two apples tomorrow?”
Most people who indicated they would wait one extra day in the first question would not wait for a second apple in the second question. Thaler concluded impatience increases with shorter time frames. That’s the bad news. The good news, according to Pastor Batterson, is that the opposite also is true- the longer you have to wait, the easier it is to wait a bit longer. In the process you are strengthening your faith muscle.
Mark explains the relationship between success and patience:
‘We want success without the compound interest called patience, but that isn’t . . . a life worth living. We want success at the speed of light instead of the speed of a seed planted in the ground. We want two apples yesterday. But success in any endeavor takes time, and then it takes more time.”
Mark calculates that a single share of Coca Cola stock purchased in 1919 for $40 would be worth $7 million today- by simply reinvesting the dividends. When it comes to unemployment or underemployment, that compound interest is called patience. And, Mark encourages, “it leads to some amazing miracles.”
Today’s question: What compound interest has accrued as you wait for it patiently? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the new Short Meditation, “Fearlessness”
