Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines shortcut as: a method or means of doing something more directly and quickly than and often not so thoroughly as by ordinary procedure.
I was driving on my way to work a few days back with a world of thoughts running through my mind. There was enough traffic to make anyone annoyed and grumpy. However, the real traffic jam was going on inside my head. I had been thinking about a specific project I’m working on which required my undivided attention due to the time sensitivity of the matter. I was beginning to get a headache!
If I am not careful, I could very easily allow myself to be caught up in worrying and frustration over the responsibilities I have been given. The heaviness of the responsibility sometimes gets the best of me and I find myself trying to find ways to take shortcuts to get through the process as quickly as possible, only to move on to the next high priority task on my list of things to do.
While I drove, I could feel the tears beginning to swell up in my eyes. It was happening again, I was feeling stressed out and overwhelmed to the point of scheming and planning ways to pass the project to someone else, or to give it up all together. I prayed! I told God how I felt like jumping over the technicalities and guidelines in order to get to the end of the road. I so yearned for God to say it was ok to take shortcuts this time…
Just then, a car came flying out of no where and cut right in front of me. I panicked and hit the brakes making a loud screech. The cars behind me did the same and thankfully, no one was hurt. The car that cut in front of me, continued speeding, swerving and cutting in front of others at an ungodly speed. Obviously this driver did not have an appreciation for his/her life or for the life of others.
Soon enough a State Trooper swiftly moved between the line of cars, blue lights flashing, until the car finally came to an abrupt stop on the left shoulder of the highway. While I was watching these events unfold before my eyes, it occurred to me that I was no different than that reckless driver. In my eagerness to take shortcuts and speed my way through my responsibilities, I too become reckless and dangerous to myself and those around me.
In time I have learned that nothing good can come out of taking shortcuts! In the first few chapters of Genesis, we see how Abraham and Sara took a major shortcut in order to rush the fulfillment of God’s promise. And we know the result. Ishmael became the most dangerous shortcut in history. Still today the world suffers from the implications of that shortcut.
Shortcuts may get us there faster, but at what cost?