People are always looking for shortcuts.
Some of us spend more time looking for shortcuts than it would take to just do whatever it is we're trying to cut short. By the time we have finished researching the shortcut and actually trying it, we sometimes sadly discover that what we thought was a shortcut only left us short--short of our goal, short of our destination and short on time when we have to make up time lost from following the so-called shortcut!
I was helping my daughter with a reading comprehension exercise and, when it came time for her to answer multiple choice questions about a story she was supposed to read, she decided to take a "shortcut." One question mentioned something about the last line of the paragraph and so she looked only at the last line instead of the entire paragraph. She then selected the answer that had some of the same wording as the line she read. She was confident she had her answer!She was probably thinking to herself, "This test is too easy! It's just too good to be true!" It was.
She failed to realize that what she had fallen for was an age-old testing tactic designed especially for those who place shortcuts over hard work. The last line of the paragraph did not provide the answer to the question. The only way to correctly answer the question would be to read the entire passage in order to fully understand what the last line actually meant. As a stand-alone sentence, the last line appeared to mean one thing. But read in context with the whole passage, it meant something else.
How many times have we fallen for the temptation to take a shortcut that we just "know" will allow us to reap a great reward without great effort? I don't mean carefully and prayerfully studying a situation and seeking the most direct route. I mean trying to cut out things that are important to the process and missing the value of the process. Often the process is where the most growth occurs, yet we race around, up, and over the process frantically trying to reach the end....
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12)
Let's face it. In this life, half of the time we're not sure where we going, and when we do at least have an idea of where we're going, we don't always like the route we have to take to get there. We don't want to give up anything, but we want to gain everything. So what do we do?
The book of Proverbs is full of Godly wisdom to help us successfully navigate life's twists, turns and temptations. In it we find that, "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty." More plainly stated, "Wealth from get-rich schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows." (Proverbs 21:5, 13:11, New Living Translation)
Whatever decision you are facing right now, ask God to give you the wisdom and strength to make the decision that will yield the best overall outcome, not just the quickest or easiest. And, while you're at it, take time to enjoy the ride. Life rushes past us quickly enough as it is --there's no need to cut it any shorter.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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