Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
May 2, 2022
This Week's Anchor
“I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to
the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.”
Ecclesiastes 9:11
Delayed gratification…That thing many of us dread, yet all of us have endured at some point in our lives. If only the things that we want came to us when we asked for them. If only we didn’t have to wait for what we desire or go through long and oftentimes challenging processes to reach the outcomes we’ve set to achieve. Why can’t we reach our goals sooner and get to our destinations more quickly? Our anchor scripture this week provides a sobering truth about our lives…things take time.
This scripture, another familiar one to many, reminds us that our journeys in life are not races of speed or strength and that no matter how wise, witty, and evolved we are, we all are humbled by God’s timing. One of my favorite old-time gospel songs encourages us in this. Rev. Milton Brunson got it right in a song that sings,
“This race is not given to the swift nor the strong,
but to the one that endures, until the end, They'll be problems, And sometimes you walk alone,
but I know that I know that I know, It will work out, yes it will for the good of them…who loves the Lord.”
What a powerful verse and song. However, despite our awareness of the importance and even necessity of enduring, many of us find ourselves in situations and moments where we question God’s timing. So, why must we endure, and why does God make us wait?
Let me offer a few reasons:
God knows best—I hate to break it to you, but we are not in control. God is, and He orchestrates our lives based on his Divine will. He can see beyond the right-now and He not only understands the power of the process but knows what it will generate within us and our lives (which are usually the true desires of our hearts).
We know little—Because we aren’t all-knowing or all-powerful, our vision is limited. We lack the provision that God holds. Sometimes what we think we want isn’t really what we want; and the very thing (or person) we want today, might be the same thing we cry in prayer to be released from tomorrow.
Good things take time—It’s simple but true. While the quick fixes and Band-Aids in life can be implemented overnight, the deeper more meaningful growth, change, and desires of hearts cannot. When we consider what we want in life, our initial thoughts often reflect surface-level desires (e.g., “I want a lot of money”). However, if we turn inward and reflect a bit more, below the surface are deeper desires (e.g., “I want stability and freedom”). With this example, there are quick ways to make easy money, but truly developing financial stability and freedom takes commitment, obedience, and time.
I can recall one moment in my life when God put my endurance to the test. My entire doctoral journey from preparation to completion was a demonstration of delayed gratification. It got off to a rough start back in the Fall of 2009 when I took my graduate record examination (GRE—qualifying exams that were required to apply for doctoral programs). I thought I did everything right. I studied. I received tutoring. I prayed throughout the process. And yet, I was met with a rude awakening when I received my results. To my dismay, I did not perform as well as I had hoped. Nevertheless, I forged on and applied for programs with hopes that my fire and passion for going on this Ph.D. journey would lead the way. Several months and a few applications and interviews later, I received one rejection after the other. I eventually surrendered to the reality that a doctoral program was not happening that year. And despite feeling incredibly discouraged and defeated, I often heard the words of the elder women in my church in my mind saying, “delayed is not denied”. So, in true Dericka form, I dusted myself off, picked myself up, and went to plan B (which was really God’s plan A), and I remained at my undergraduate institution for two more years in a master’s program while I took another attempt at the GRE and developed my experiences even further.
In round two of preparing for the GRE (a year later), I did pretty much everything the same. The only difference was I had listened to God and made some tough decisions surrounding important relationships in my personal life. To say the least, I entered this GRE and doctoral program application season a bit lighter and more open to whatever and wherever God had in store for me. By the grace of God, I raised my GRE scores more than what was considered plausible and was able to be a stronger candidate for programs. This round was different. I applied more widely, and I received several interviews and a handful of offers. I went from a season of rejection to a season of options, and by the time the spring of 2011 rolled around, I accepted an offer to attend a program nearly 1,000 miles away in the Greater Boston Area.
You might be thinking, “Yay! What a great testimony of delayed gratification!” But this was where the race began. My endurance wasn’t truly tested until I started my Ph.D. program. I began my doctoral studies in the Fall of 2011, and I didn’t complete my degree until the end of 2017 (almost ten years after the doctoral program preparation began). In the time between the start and end of my program, I experienced a range of emotions and roadblocks along the way. In year one, the “imposter syndrome” hit me hard and I consistently questioned how the heck a country girl who was educated through public schooling was chosen to be in this prestigious program. By year three, I grew weary with all the compounding demands and the physical, mental and emotional impacts of the stress and anxiety took a toll on my body. By year four, I began to realize I was on a slow track to reaching my life and career goals. Many of my peers and friends were established in their careers and were in the home buying process and I was just a broke graduate student barely making ends meet in an overpriced rented apartment in Boston. In year five, I was living in a completely different city wading through spiritual warfare. And in my final year, I struggled to press through the uphill battle of completing my dissertation.
I had the privilege of going to graduate school and having supportive parents, so I, in no way, share this journey for pity. But like many of us on similar journeys, the hurdles, delays, and comparisons made what I thought I didn’t have overshadow what I did have and where I was headed. Despite my discouragement and disillusionment in the process, God was with me every step of the way affirming and inspiring me and providing me with the sustenance to endure.
Maybe you are on a journey of stepping into a season you’ve been waiting for—whether it’s waiting for that promotion, to pay off those loans, to attend college and or get that degree; to learn that trade, to get married, have that child, buy that home, start that business, travel the world, retire, or enter a season of pause and rest. Whatever and wherever it is, you can trust that God has you right where you need to be as a setup for where you will go!
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What are you waiting on God for in this season?
What do you need from the Holy Trinity to help you endure?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Colossians 1:9-14
Romans 15:4-6
2 Corinthians 6:3-10
2 Timothy 2:11-13
Hebrews 12:1-3
James 1:2-7
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“When you understand your inner self — your passions, motivations, moral code and vulnerabilities, you don’t have to blow in the wind of someone else’s expectations; you can stand firm in your own truth.”
Janet Autherine
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