To Shortcut or Not to Shortcut
Dan Kunz
Not far from our house, which is out in the country, the county road goes down a steep hill and around a fairly sharp curve, with a ledge on one side. In other words, it’s a blind curve. On more than one occasion, I’ve had a close call with another driver who is going a little too fast and is drifting over the center line on that curve. One of these days…
From time to time we all take shortcuts. Sometimes that’s okay, but other times it’s downright dangerous. If you are texting someone and use BTW, instead of spelling out “by the way”, that’s a good shortcut. Where would most of us be, if the microwave oven hadn’t been invented? It’s an awesome shortcut for preparing food or heating water.
The current crisis has shown us how important it is to go through all the proper protocols to be safe. Taking shortcuts with COVID-19 is not recommended. No social distancing, no face covering, and no hand washing is a recipe for danger, either to you or to someone else. My grandma used to say, “Better safe, than sorry!” Now that reopening the country seems more and more likely every day, everyone needs to make sure that when that glorious time comes, we don’t take shortcuts to safety that jeopardizes anyone.
The same thing is true spiritually. Some people live “too fast” and “drift over the centerline” frequently. They view God’s Law as just too restrictive and burdensome. They want to take shortcuts to living a sanctified life. “It isn’t hurting anyone” is very similar to “I didn’t think anyone was coming the other way.” They don’t have time to read God’s Word or attend church. Praying is reserved only for times of absolute need, not regular conversations with God. Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Jesus clearly warns people not to take spiritual shortcuts their whole lives and expect to cry out for help when it’s too late.
When my wife is driving and I remind her that cutting a corner at an intersection is a bad idea, she usually doesn’t like it. If you warn others about dangerous shortcuts while driving, they may not like it, but it could save their life. God encourages us to warn others about spiritual shortcuts, as well. They may not like it, but it just may save their eternal lives. Hopefully, they’ll do the same thing for you!