I want it all, I want it now

This morning I read the following article:

Does Fast Food Lead to Impatience?

Study: 

Thinking About Fast Food May Spur Desire for Instant Gratification  

by Kathleen Doheny, Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD, WebMD Medical News

April 15, 2010 -- Despite saving us time, fast food may make us impatient and more likely to seek instant gratification, new research finds.
University of Toronto researchers Chen-Bo Zhong, PhD, and Sanford E. DeVoe, PhD, conducted a trio of experiments before coming to that conclusion in a report published in Psychological Science.
The first experiment found that exposure to fast-food symbols increases reading speed even when there's no pressure to read fast. In the experiment, they randomly assigned 57 college students to look at the center of a computer screen but ignore the corners. Those in the fast-food group were exposed to fast-food logos, flashed in the corners too quickly for the conscious mind to register the images. Those in the comparison group looked at blank squares in the corners. Next, when they all read a passage, those exposed to the logos had a faster reading speed.
In a second experiment, the researchers asked 91 participants either to recall a time they had a fast-food meal or the last time they went grocery shopping, then to rate the desirability of eight products, half of which were time saving (such as combined shampoo/conditioner) and half of which weren't (such as regular shampoo). Those asked to recall their fast-food meal desired the time-saving products more than those who recalled grocery shopping.
In the third experiment, 58 participants were asked to rate the aesthetics of logos either from fast-food franchises (McDonald's and KFC) or from inexpensive diners. Next, researchers asked about preferences on saving money. Saving money involves delayed gratification in order to receive a greater monetary gain in the future. Those who were exposed to the fast-food logos needed a much higher weekly interest rate to delay payment than did those in the comparison group.
Bottom line? ''Exposure to fast food and related symbols reinforces an emphasis on impatience and instant gratification and ... fast food can have a far broader impact on individuals' behaviors and choices than previously thought," the researchers write.

SOURCE:Zhong, C. Psychological Science, online March 19, 2010.  2010 WebMD, LLC. 
All rights reserved. 

Interesting, isn't it? In our society the market is controlled by demand. And the demand for instant gratification, the "quick fix" is increasing in every area of our live,  food being only one of them. When we feel like shopping without having the funds we use a credit card. When we get sick but don't feel like slowing down we throw in a pill or two. When living a real relationship seems like too much work, well, there is porn available conveniently on the net. We can have it all at the click of a button. And when emotional pain comes up we rather flush it down with a drink than take the time and courage to look at the underlying issues. 

Convenience seems to be the God of our society. Concepts like waiting, growing, patience or perseverance are foreign to the young generation. The saying I grew up with "Good thing takes while" seems to be outdated. 

But what drives this hunger for instant gratification and satisfaction? Could it be that we stuff this whole in our soul as quickly as possible so we don't have to dig deeper and look at the real condition of our soul? Could it be that we fall daily for lies like "You deserve it, now" or "Just do whatever you feel like"? Could it be that we try to fill this desire and longing in our soul with everything else but God? Could it be that convenience is in fact less convenient for us than we thought? Could it be that our convenient society has a big part in raising children who can't tolerate any uncomfortable feelings and therefore get addicted to "instant coping strategies"  like food, drugs, romance and sex? What causes "Addictive Personalities" and "Impulsive Behavior"? Have we lost our perspective for the future? What are you ready to sacrifice for the satisfaction of the moment?

Instead of denying, numbing or filling it with temporarily satisfying things the Bible shows us a different way to still this hunger deep inside. David for example was a man who understood what his soul was really thirsting for: 

As the deer pants for the streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My souls thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1-2)

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
(Psalm 62:1)

O God, you are my God, I earnestly seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and wary land where there is no water. (...) Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. (...) My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. (Psalm 63:1,3,5)

 How lovely is your dwelling place, O God Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my hear and my flesh cry out for the living God. (Psalm 84:1-2)

The more satisfied we become in God the less dependent we become on other quick fixes that are supposed to make us feel good. And the more we learn to tolerate inconveniences and sacrifice for the long term the more our character and maturity will develop (Rom 5:3 , James 1:4).  

I realize that the concept of  therapy and counseling doesn't fit the popular quick-fix trend of our society but it offers support to the courageous who are ready to even face inconvenience for the sake of gaining maturity, freedom and healing for their soul.