My encounters with shortcuts have not always brought me the desired results. I end up getting to my destination much later or even abandoning the route altogether and driving back home frustrated and annoyed.
The problem with me and shortcuts is that I don’t know the route. But that’s to be expected you say. Well, yes it is but not when it is fraught with unpleasant surprises as always seems to be the case with me.
All the shortcuts I’ve ever taken have been unfamiliar routes that I may have heard people talk about; or one I’ve always wondered about but never really tried out and then one day in a moment of desperation decide to take.
The risk of getting lost on an unfamiliar route is high …with me at least, lol. Another risk of using an unfamiliar route is the danger of the unknown. With my familiar route, I know what to expect most times and hardly ever meet any surprises along the way except something out of the ordinary occurs.
Another kind of shortcut experience that hardly ever favors me is standing in a queue at the Checkout. I always seem to think I'm in a slow moving queue and the moment I decide to leave it to join another shorter and faster moving queue, I end up waiting longer as the new queue stops moving altogether.
Even more annoying, the cashier decides to close the checkout! Then I angrily scamper back to my former queue and this time I have to go all the way to the back of a much longer queue then before. Aargh!
I’ll admit that every time I’ve had these negative experiences with my shortcut routes, I’ve been reminded of my need to work on my patience. Faster is not always faster and you may end up being delayed and ultimately denied of a time specific blessing.
The Path
Writing this piece was actually inspired by yet another very unpleasant shortcut experience I had a few mornings ago on my way to work. Now this story is one example of why you must always listen to your inner voice. I do try to keep the ears of my inner man focused on what God is trying to say to me about everything happening around me at every given time but….I try I said….It’s by his grace *sigh*
Anyway, I get to the car park this morning, and after parking my car I realize I’m running late to catch my train. Suddenly I catch sight of this bushy path in front of the car park. ‘Wow, a shortcut’, my brain whispers to me, lol. I had never even noticed there was one there before. I also now see a lady ahead who had just parked her car too, get out and start making her way towards the said path obviously in a hurry.
Another voice now convinces me that she’s also running late like myself and is using the path as a shortcut to get to the train station. I immediately make to follow her, but a still voice small within me says ‘no, that’s not a path, don’t waste your time, follow your route.’ Did I listen? No. *Smh*.
I followed the lady almost running after her like she owed me some money or something, lol. Now on the path, I kept walking and as I walked,the path got longer and narrower, darker, dirtier and bushier. Gosh! where was the lady, I thought. I couldn’t see her anymore!
I tried to turn back but one look at my watch told me it was too late to want to “return to my former queue”, lol. So I kept walking, really fast this time suppressing the urge to run as I was getting quite worried about not meeting my train. All of a sudden I see ahead of me something bright and yellow splattered all over the path.
Before my mind could register what it really was, the smell hit me!
I stopped dead in my tracks and quickly assessed the situation from my distance. Oh no, you have got to be kidding me I thought! The whole path was splattered and literally decorated with human waste and other disgusting, unsanitary items I wish I could un-see. I almost cried. I felt violated by my own impatience that led me down this path. If only I had listened to that small voice.
I had to go all the way back as I had walked quite a bit on the poo-poo track which I found out later didn’t even lead to the train station. *Gasp* To cut the story short I missed my train. When I finally got on the train, all through my journey to work I was plagued by the memories of what I’d seen. I got to work late needless to say and later at lunchtime, couldn’t eat anything as I was nauseous....I actually retched a few times that day.
So yeah, that’s yet another bad shortcut experience in the bag, lol.
I can now confidently say shortcuts end up failing me every time. So wouldn’t it be better (you would think) I stopped being impatient or always in a hurry and instead, remained on my route/ queue?
I never give up hope I guess. I’m devoted to hope I like to say to people. Hoping for things to eventually work out for you is never a bad thing, but maybe sometimes you just have to stick to the plan if your hope is to ever yield fruit.
The idea of using a shortcut sounds appealing at first and may entice you with the promise of a quicker arrival at your destination or a better means to an end. However, we must understand that what may have looked like a good idea at a time of desperation or dire need, may only end up delaying you or taking you off the path of your destiny entirely. You end up with little or nothing to show for your wait or efforts or you end up settling for less than you are worth or deserve.
Every good idea is not always a God idea.
Shortcuts come in different scenarios and sadly, many believers have allowed themselves be swayed off their God ordained paths by such shortcuts. Many have started a business God didn’t ask them to start and have ended up losing everything they invested in it. Many have ended up marrying the wrong person because they felt it was taking too long to wait for the right one.
Many have pulled up stakes and moved to another city or country entirely without hearing from God first, then get there and go through untold hardship. Many have accepted a job that is now literally killing them slowly or destroying their marriage, because it leaves them absolutely no time to spend with the family.
There are many shortcut scenarios like I already mentioned, and whichever one it may be for you, it will cost you something if you don’t follow divine guidance. Don’t be quick to abandon your tried and tested routine, plan, route, queue (lol), job position, or even marital status without divine direction or clear instructions. Wherever you find yourself now, wait patiently until the appointed time comes for you to make a move. Let’s remember that it is patience that cultivates the fruit of a long wait.
Be blessed. LCH.