I Demand Results Now

As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. Joshua 24:32

One of the most common complaints I encounter in those newly sober, is anxiety. Often, the life events that caused a patient to stop using drugs are significantly stressful, and now the coping mechanism that he (or she) has used for years has been taken away. This patient is accustomed to the immediate relief found in a pill or a drink and so, when he complains of anxiety and I recommend counseling or medications that may take weeks to work, he’s not impressed. He needs something right now and, having previously used marijuana, he once again turns to immediate gratification. Marijuana does work . . . temporarily. Then it wears off and must be repeated. Soon, he’s back at the same compulsive behavior, using marijuana just to not be miserable. After a few months, the anxiety is worse than ever, driven by the very thing that was supposed to help it.

I get it. I’ve been there. Perhaps not with marijuana, but I’ve demanded immediate results in almost every area of my life. When I’ve struggled with sleep, I didn’t work on sleep hygiene. I just took a pill. When I’ve tried to lose weight, I demanded results after one day. When I got sober, I wanted my life put back together in a week. I’m impatient and if something doesn’t pay off immediately, it’s worthless. I can’t wait weeks or months, let alone years.

Today’s passage though, illustrates that God often works on a much longer timeline than I can comprehend. In the story, after the Israelites conquered the promised land, they laid Joseph’s bones to rest, more than 400 years after his death. Way back in Egypt, Joseph brought his people out of Canaan to save them from famine. He believed however, that God would one day return the Israelites to the promised land, so, prior to his death, he made his brothers promise to bury him back in Canaan. I’d be willing to bet that Joseph didn’t imagine it would take 400 plus years to get there, but still, he believed, and his people kept their promise, carrying his bones all that time.

When I pray, I expect immediate results. God though, works on a different timeline than I do. Early in my recovery, I wanted my normal life restored by day 30 of sobriety. It took years. Through recovery, I’ve begun to learn patience. I’m still learning that immediate gratification usually isn’t good for me. So, I’m trying to be patient, daily relying on God’s timing, not my own.