Information Related to "Can You Pass the Marshmallow Test?"
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The little boy had an interesting choice. He'd been given
a marshmallow, a sweet treat he really enjoyed. Then he was told that
he could eat it right away or, if he would refrain from eating it, he
would be given an extra one to eat. To receive a second marshmallow,
all he had to do was wait a few minutes. What choice would he make? What
choice would you make?
As preposterous as it may sound, some aspects of life are like marshmallow
tests. The longer we wait, the better our reward. While delaying personal
gratification can be beneficial in many ways, let me illustrate two areas
that have special significance for young people.
One of the first real-life marshmallow tests comes when we start maturing and notice the opposite sex. As we enter puberty, the time when our bodies become capable of reproducing, it seems as though a traffic light that used to be red has suddenly turned green. The opposite sex, whom we used to consider irrelevant, now suddenly becomes immensely attractive.
The hormones activated by the onslaught of puberty hit our brains full force. Some of us are described as suddenly becoming boy-crazy or girl-crazy. It is a time of great excitement as we discover that we are sexual beings with a natural attraction to the opposite sex. Along with the excitement, we encounter raging emotions over our attractiveness or lack thereof. Some of us lose much valuable time worrying whether he or she "loves me or loves me not."
It is a wondrous time. As Agur said, "There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin" (Proverbs 30:18-19).
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