How 3 Minutes Equals 9+

My kitchen faucet has been a sorry story since I moved into this little house a month and a half ago. Yeah, it was more than a drip-drip-drip, but not by much. It would take a full 60 seconds to dispense enough water to cook a pack of ramen. And if I ever want to make potato soup…

Well, I’m doomed, basically.

Until this evening.

When I had a great idea: GENIUS in fact. “Maybe it was plugged somehow and it’s fixable!” Well…

It took about 15 seconds to unscrew the mesh filter at the end. Three minutes more to clean it, and my faucet works like a normal faucet now. By the end of next week it’ll have saved me at least three times as much time waiting for water as it required to fix it. (Hence the title of this post.)

Why didn’t I do it a month and a half ago?

I don’t know.

Maybe this explains why I rated lowest in the “mechanical / manual labor” category when I took that Career Test two years ago.

In any case, I’ve had this thought all evening… because it’s not just water faucets. I wait, we wait, in so many other things too. In our tasks. In our lives.

It seems pretty well established that my generation seeks out instant gratification and shies away from anything less.

But is three minutes and fifteen seconds really that much of a sacrifice? Or a ten minute call to a friend, or a half hour workout or prayer time?

No, it isn’t.

Enough with “instant gratification”. Our families and friends and– our heavenly Father— deserve more.