Posts Tagged: Proverbs 21:5

“No Shortcuts”

On August 16, 2022 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

On a trip, my wife hates to hear me say, “I think I’ll try a shortcut.” She has good reason to be wary of my “shortcuts”, because they usually give us a great deal of time to see places we didn’t necessarily plan to see. (That is “man talk” that translates to “we get lost and waste a lot of time”.)

In life also, I am prone to the folly of shortcuts. These almost always turn out to be the long way home. Worse yet, many of them end up being blind alleys.

A friend of mine put me onto a wonderful website that has snippets of Native American wisdom. Much of it is in line with Christian teachings. Here is a good one from this morning:

““The best teachers have shown me that things have to be done
bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly – we
only think it does.”                
— Joseph Bruchac, ABENAKI       

There are no short cuts. Every tree must grow according to the growth plan of the
Creator. Every flower must grow according to the plan of God. The moon must make
its trip around the earth according to God’s plan. Every human being must grow according
to the plan of the Creator. Sometimes we look at ourselves and we think we are not growing
but we are always growing. Because we cannot see it with our minds does not mean it is not
happening. We must be patient with ourselves and let the Creator direct our growth.   

My Creator, let me be patient. Let me realize that You are in charge of all things. Let me realize
that I must grow my roots a little at a time to become strong.” (https://wellbriety.com/meditations/, accessed 08-16-2022)

The Bible is also aware of the danger of what are often shortcuts in name only. Here are a few verses for us to chew on (slowly)—today or any day.

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5, New Living Translation)

“Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.” (Matthew 7:13-14, The Message)

Of course, the Bible is full of stories that exemplify the same truth. God had promised Abram (a.k.a. Abraham) land and children. He had neither. His wife had been unable to conceive and was now too old to do so anyway. So, they decided on a shortcut to help God out of God’s bind: surrogate motherhood through Hagar, Sarah’s slave. It did not turn out well. Shortcuts don’t, as a general rule.

So, dear reader, if your life and your progress are going slower than you think they should, you’re probably right on schedule. Only cancers grow quickly.

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