The Marshmallow Test for Christians

Last week I read an article in the New York Times which spoke about the “marshmallow test”.  The article was entitled “America Fails the Marshmallow Test” by Paul Krugman.  Now, I had forgotten about the marshmallow test which I had heard about some years ago.  It is an experiment conducted by psychologists that tests a child’s ability to delay gratification.  In the test, a child is given a marshmallow and told that if the child can delay eating it for fifteen minutes, they will be given a second one.  The hypothesis behind the test is that a child with the willpower to delay gratification and gain the second marshmallow will be more successful in life. 

The article notes that this hypothesis has not held up well outside the lab.  However, as the article states, it is a useful metaphor for the dynamic of how individuals or groups operate in the world.  Krugman was using the metaphor for a yardstick to measure how the United States is performing in the COVID-19 pandemic and concluded that the country is failing this ‘marshmallow test’ and many people do not have the willpower to maintain the steps such as social distancing to defeat the pandemic.  This conclusion seems to have been confirmed by the rally held by U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend in which a relatively large crowd, which was planned to be much larger. gathered in an indoor facility without social distancing and generally not wearing masks.  While they may not have been singing, there was a lot a cheering and shouting.  A perfect formula for spreading the Corona virus.

That being said, I have to wonder about a marshmallow test for Christian.  Can the principle of delayed gratification be applied to the people of God?  Pondering this, I am reminded of another concept which I heard some years ago; God the Butler.  This speaks to the idea that people want to think of God as someone or something that we can call upon to come up from the servant’s quarters when we believe that God can give us something which we want or need.  We want God to answer prayers on our terms and on our schedule.  Needless to say, we are often disappointed when God does not live up to our expectation and does not deliver on demand.  I am reminded of the song by Janice Joplin, O Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.  In effect, we fail the marshmallow test in our relationship with God.

When we do this, we are letting our egos run the show.  The ego wants to be in charge – indeed it believes much of the time that it is in charge and wants to maintain control.  And when we have to face that our egos i.e., we, are not in control we rebel and want to find a scapegoat for our disappointment.  We are not God or even gods despite what it says in Psalm 82,” I say, ‘You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you.”   As Christians, we are certainly children of God but not gods in that sense. 

As hard as we try, we can never come close to understanding the fullness of God and as it says in Isaiah:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

We can still turn to God in our times of trouble and we have the assurance through Jesus Chris that he is with us and knows what we are going through always and especially in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Let us consider as Christians how we fair in light of the marshmallow test. 

Blessing on your journey.