Sometimes life’s greatest lessons arrive in the most unexpected ways. Mine arrived on a hot afternoon in Rome, Italy, disguised as a slice of pizza.
It was a scorching Saturday afternoon, and the Mediterranean sun was relentless. Hot, tired, and running low on patience, I wanted relief. Something cold, something sweet, anything that could offer a moment of comfort.
Then the smell found me.
Warm, yeasty, unmistakably Italian, freshly baked pizza drifted through the air and wrapped itself around my senses before I even had time to think.
“That pizza smells amazing. Can we stop and get a slice?” I asked my children.
My eldest son gave me a look only a child can pull off. He leaned in and whispered, “Control, Mommy. Control.”
He was right, and I knew it.
The problem was that hunger had already started negotiating with my common sense. I was overheated, exhausted, and impatient. Instead of listening to him, I reminded him that a hungry mother could quickly become an angry mother, and an angry mother might reconsider the shopping trip entirely.
The conversation ended right there.
Just a few hours earlier, our family had agreed to save our appetites for dinner. Our family friends had spent days planning an authentic Roman pizza feast and could not stop talking about it. They described the flavors, the varieties, and the experience with such enthusiasm that we could almost taste it already. Their instructions were simple: arrive hungry.
We laughed, made an imaginary pinky promise, and spent the day looking forward to what awaited us that evening.
Yet standing in front of that pizzeria, every promise slowly faded into the background. The sight was irresistible. The aroma was persuasive. Waiting a few more hours suddenly felt less like patience and more like punishment.
So I gave in.
I ordered the slice and devoured it with the urgency of someone convinced she could not possibly wait another minute.
Five minutes later, reality arrived.
The pizza was bland. Completely underwhelming. The aroma had written a promise the flavor simply could not keep.
Later that evening, we sat down to the feast our friends had been talking about all week. It was everything they promised and more. Rich, layered, authentic, and unforgettable. Every bite was worth the wait.
I enjoyed it, but not without regret. I had already spent an appetite I did not have to spare.
Instant gratification had become instant regret.
On the walk back that evening, I replayed the afternoon in my mind. The pizza was never really the problem.
Impatience was.
Looking back, I realize the lesson had very little to do with pizza and everything to do with patience and self control. Life is full of moments that test our willingness to wait. The ability to choose patience over impulse and self control over instant gratification often determines whether we experience temporary satisfaction or lasting fulfillment.
How often do we do the same thing in life?
How often do we rush ahead because waiting feels uncomfortable? How often do we take back situations we supposedly surrendered to God because His timing feels too slow? How often do we settle for what is available now and miss something far better that was already on its way?
Many of our regrets begin with impatience. We want answers now. Relief now. Results now. We want God to work according to our timetable rather than trusting His.
Yet some of life’s greatest blessings require us to wait.
Patience and self control are inseparable companions. Self control is the decision we make in the moment, but patience is the foundation that supports it. Without patience, self control quickly collapses under pressure.
Scripture reminds us that patience is not passive. “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
Waiting on God is not sitting still and hoping for the best. It is remaining anchored to Him while resisting everything that promises a shortcut.
There is a space between what we can see today and what we are trusting God for tomorrow. It is in that space that faith either takes root or quietly unravels. It is also where patience does its deepest work.
What God has prepared is worth the wait.
The challenge is that we often stop waiting just before the blessing arrives.
Today, let us bring our impatience honestly before God. The moments we rushed ahead. The promises we quietly abandoned because the wait felt too long.
Ask Him for the grace to trust His timing when it does not match your own, the strength to exercise self control when temptation arrives dressed as relief, and the faith to remain steady between the promise and its fulfillment.
The next time urgency comes knocking, and it will, remember the pizza.
Remember that what seems irresistible in the heat of the moment is not always what is best.
Some of life’s greatest blessings are reserved for those willing to wait just a little longer.
Until next time, let patience guard your heart, self control guide your decisions, and faith give you the courage to trust God’s timing.
The best is still ahead.
May Oyairo is the Publisher of MannaXPRESS.
