If you are a regular bloggy friend, then I greet you with a bloggy {{{HUG}}}.
Changing check-out lanes at the grocery store will put me behind the one person who needs a price check.
Shifting lanes at the emission testing line assures the machines will break down, or someone will go on break, seconds before I get to the front.
Lines aren't the only place I try short-cuts. In the past, I've tried to find short cuts for test preparation, losing weight, and even in my writing. Instead of doing the hard work to push through to excellence, I've rested on "good enough." Which is why so many times I've stopped short of fulfilling a dream. Short-cuts put me further behind and frustrated every time.
The best path to following my dreams seems to be the arduous, rocky one every time. It's on that path that my motives are tested and my mettle is challenged. The long road prepares me for the reality of the dream - which is always different from what I expect.
The long road is also where God teaches me things I wouldn't learn otherwise:
- God is the giver of dreams, so He chooses when to fulfill them.
- He is my sustainer in times of waiting.
- He cares more about my character than my career.
- He has something better planned than I can imagine.
- How to find contentment in what I have and where I am.
- Perseverance accomplishes more than flashes of genius.
I am the turtle. Not in my personality, mind you. My mind wants to sprint. Yet that doesn't work for me in reality. Sprinting always gets me to a place of shallow regret. Perhaps God knew I would miss way too much of life (and Him) by taking short-cuts on the fly.
I may not get as much done in my life as others. I may take longer to get there too. But I'm right where God wants me to be, doing just as much as He wants me to accomplish, and learning what I need to know on my long road.
Whether it's relationships, career, housekeeping or parenting, there really are no short-cuts to anyplace worth going. I know, I've tried.
Where have you tried a short-cut that didn't work? What is God teaching you about the long road?
Share your comments and I'll give away the book "Your Secret Name: Discovering Who God Created You to Be" by Kary Oberbrunner at random to one commenter. Please leave a way for me to reach you on Monday.
In His Love,
Glynnis
P.S. If you are looking for some help in managing your priorities, such as time, home and work, please visit my other blog, http://www.herorganizedlife.com/, where I post 2 or 3 organization and productivity tips each week.
Visit my other blog
31 comments:
I feel I shortcut my prayer time so often. With our 4 children in private school and us being their transportation, i live a lot of life on the road. I now travel with a bible and a book and try to "squeeze" in reading time. I don't like it but I just can't seem to get another plan going. I remember short cutting my son's outfit for his Egyptian Feast at school boy was that a disaster!
Make this a full and fulfilling day! Blessings, karen g
kareng24u@msn.com
Your topic today of short cuts was just what i was apologizing to God about! Thank you for your devotional.
rita.white@yahoo.com
I am a turtle too. Seems like everyday I can look back where I have tried short cuts and yes, many times they don't work. Sometimes I don't want to do the work involved. Thanks for your reflections. I can relate to them, too. mheard11@frontier.com
I laughed so hard at this devotion - so can relate with my boy! After going out to dinner last night with my sons, I realized I needed to teach a lot more about table manners! Great lesson too - you're such a great writer!
Hi Glynnis! You hit me right on today! I was just thinking the other day about the turtle and the hare and decided I am the turtle for sure!
Your devotion was right on for me, too. Thank you for keeping me to task!
Blessings,
Cheri
ps. I woke up thinking about you this morning. ??? Not sure why, but I prayed for you. That has never happened. What a surprise to find you at the P31 devotion online!
Good morning! Wow...the "Perseverence accomplishes more than flashes of genius" statement....made me stop and write that one down. Excellent teaching today! God gives such an amazing annointing that we get so incredibly excited about, almost boastful. His love, promises and visions have me so amped, I cannot see straight! Have to keep reminding myself to be patient and that in order to live in abundance you have to be in a place of wholeness or the abundance will continue to slip away. Thank you for this prophetic word this morning! Thank you for reminding me that right now, being a Momma of 5, working full time and a 1 Peter 3 Wife ON PURPOSE, this is right where I need to be. In the meantime, I will hit the gym (study God's Word) every second that I have to myself and when He says it's time....Watch Out!!!! The Nations will know His Name!!!
Needed that Word TODAY for such a time as this!
Thank you!!
katelcook@hotmail.com
Too funny that this is what you posted today...I had just read another "pep talk" from the folks at Nanowrimo (National November Writing Month) encouraging me not to quit on the silly endeavor of writing a first draft of a 50000 word novel in the month of November. (It is a ridiculous concept, but, whatever...)So I am going to get back to writing, and I am going to pass your encouragement on to my 17 year old daughter who needs this advice. Maybe hearing it from someone else will help her get it, but I kind of doubt it : ) Thanks for your posts!
Hi Glynnis,
This hello is way overdue. I love reading your devotions and had to laugh as I know your little Robbie (probably not so little now)and have one of my own. Just last night, we once again asked him to please grab a napkin if he must eat on the couch. Why? Because we catch him just wiping his greasy fingers on the couch instead (shortcut). Ugh! Thank goodness for Microfiber. He also learned a great lesson this week when everyone made the science topic presentations and his was not done any where near to the level of others in his small class. Yep, shortcut didn't work. I like the way you put it. Rather than lecture on laziness, shortcut really works well in the teenage vernacular.
Still have fond memories of your sweet family. I would love to chat about the newest additions to the nest. They all keep us very engaged. Blessings to you today!!!
Glynnis,
Thank you for this timely post! I've been sharing with my children that there are no shortcuts worth taking when trying to get where God wants us to be. There are several scriptures in Proverbs which speak of the danger of attempting to obtain something quickly. I believe God refers to people who do so as foolish.
I have to daily remind myself that God is in control of everything, including our finances, my writing career, where we're headed next with my husband's career, and our childrens' character development. I need to patiently wait it out and see what He directs me to do in each area.
Blessings to you on your journey!
~ Alycia Morales
www.amoralesthinks.blogspot.com
amoralescmc@yahoo.com
I have found myself taking shortcuts in my marriage. I need to get better at taking the time to work through things that hurt us instead of just putting a shiny coat over it all. Thank you for this post today!
lucky7_ks@yahoo.com
I really needed to hear this. I know that I have areas of my life in which I am lazy. Sometimes I feel I have so much to do, that I do nothing well which leads me to thinking not to bother and just do the absolute necessities. I realize I need to be a more self-disciplined person. I pray that God will help me to do so.
I love this devotion. I find myself taking short cuts in even the little things. I will tell my son to stop doing something and by the 20 millionth time I am just to tired to do so, but unless I am consistent he will not learn.
This was a much needed devotion today! Thank you.
annacoelhosilva (at) gmail (dot) com
This was timely for me, as well. Conviction, conviction. Thanks for sharing this devotion.
Glynnis,
I am the queen of shortcuts, especially when I'm in a hurry. It usually ends up taking me longer, too. My biggest shortcut is my personal time with the Lord. Thank you for encouragment to cut out shortcuts. Have a blessed weekend
Grace
gplhome@sbcglobal.net
Thank you Glynnis, that sure did hit the nail on the head! I am Shortcut Sue and I am always battling it. And I see it in my son too which of course drives me crazy! One big way I shortcut is my prayer time with God. I tend to rattle off a thank you for this morning, this day, my family, etc. and Lord please help me with...and the list goes on and on. So instead of giving God a diatribe of the areas of my life that need help, take time to WORSHIP him. Breathe it in, pause, give thanks, sing, reflect, offer him something. That is taking the time that is worth it every time! Thanks! Laura
ltbeavers@gmail.com
I've tried losing weight the "easy" way---it might work for a time, but never lasts.
I've tried go own road with guys I dated (before I met my husband), and go against God's plan, and all I got was heartache and an empty bank account, not what I thought was love.
Sometiems I have to learn the same lesson over and over, becuase I'm stubborn - but God doesn't give up on me! So thankful for that.
I used to take financial short cuts, like using credit cards and taking out loans seemed to be the way to go. But I learned that saving the money and waiting for the "right" timing to buy things totally paid off. We're trying to get out of debt right now, and it's totally been a long process...it's been at least 3 years. We've made a lot of mistakes, but we've been learning a lot as well. Like sometimes it's better to hold off on paying a big chunk of money down on something only to find that some unexpected expense came up and the money you could have put in savings was already spent. But at least we're learning!
Oops! Today my shortcut was reading a devotional instead of getting into my Bible and reading first, then enjoying the devotionals in my inbox. Heading right over to my Bible to skip the shortcut and get to the place worth going.
I am learning that anything worth doing is worth the effort needed. I don't want to take shortcuts in my walk with God. He is worth it!
homebldrs@yahoo.com
I'm afraid I take more shortcuts then I should. I love instant gratification so I want to get there fast which means taking shortcuts that usually put me further behind then if I stayed on the course set before me.
Blessings,
Cindy W.
countrybear52[at]yahoo[dot]com
I am awesome at choosing the slowest line ever...especially at the grocery store. In fact, I have my sons choose now if they're with me. Although sometimes all the lines are slow.
I don't know if it's a shortcut because it makes it harder, but my eating is not helping me lose weight. Need to do the hard work in planning meals and eating healthier.
Teresa
Glynnis,
Thank you so much for your devotional today this is exactly what I needed. I am a single mother of 4 precious children who are 11, 10, 6, and 18 months, I work full-time and I am a full-time student. The past few weeks I feel like I have been looking for a shortcut to make things a little easier, but when this happens, I just make matters worse. Your devotional today has given me hope and encouragement to make it to the next level. My children look up to me and I want to lead them in the right direction. Thank you again you have been such a Blessing to me today :)
Christine
misscsierra@hotmail.com
Whatever did you do when your son said his hair was his napkin? (That one is a new one on me, mother of five and grandmother of nine.)
I wanted to tell you about a shortcut my dad and I took on our way home from work one day. We lived on the coast in Oregon, between towns, so when I got a job it was in the town 20 miles north of us. Not having a car, one or the other of my parents had to drive me. This day, my father had come to pick me up, and as we drove along the coast road, we came to a loggers' road into the mountains. "This is a shortcut," Dad said. "It will come out right next to our house." So off we went.
Somewhere along the interminably long "shortcut," we met the smelliest goat I've ever seen, and as an adult I raised pygmy goats, so I've smelled some smelly ones!
Anyway, we finally emerged from the road back on the highway, only to discover that the hour it took us to take the logging road brought us three miles closer to home.
My dad has a great sense of humor and loves jokes, even if they're on him!
Short Cuts have been my constant road. I have looked back and seen that I have not gotten very far! Thank you so much for you devotional. The thought of hard work and no shortcuts is something that I am trying to instill in my children, but I have not practiced what I have been preaching. Many times it is because I have procrastinated, so when i get started, the heat is on and I must get to the desired goal any way possible. Today, I commit to small steps in the right direction in the area of eating and exercise. Every bite and movement counts, so I will decrease and increase starting today! God Bless!!
As a mom of 3 boys, I can so relate to your story in the devotional for today. The "short-cuts" often taken are a touchy subject at my house. But oh how true it is there is something for this mama to learn by watching her boys. "Short-cuts" do often get us into a heap of trouble. I love the way God is teaching me through my children. A beautiful devotion - thank you!
I've never thought of it as shortcuts before but I guess I do it with many things.
Mainly, my time with the Lord.
I want the full effect of my relationship with Christ but cheat myself by shortcutting it bigtime!
bloggy {{{HUG}}} right back. ;D
The area where I try to shortcut is in the training of my children. It takes my time to train their heart in right choices, not just stop the behavior. Investing in them now will --Lord willing-- benefit them and those around them when they are older. Turtle time.
I often remind myself that life is a race of endurance with my eyes fixed on Jesus as He perfects my faith in Him. That helps me be more content to "turtle" my way through life, confident that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing (not what that woman over there is doing).
Thanks for your thought-provoking, humorous and God-honoring blog(s)!
One of the biggest shortcuts I often find myself taking, that costs me much more time in the long run, is in cleaning. I like things to appear very neat, but often just do a quick surface job. Later, it is much more difficult to get that deep cleaning done!
joannalogan1@juno.com
Wow, it is amazing how God can send you a word through many ways. I read this post on daily devotions for woman yesterday and it spoke to my life tremedously! Then I looked on the site today and it still poped up even though it is a new day. God wanted me to see it again! That was a blessing to me because i'm trying to get my life back in order with God and life and general and short cuts have consumed my life lately. Even though I know the end result I still struggle to get it together. I thank you for your post and I plan on becoming enteractive within your site. One of my short cuts would have been to memorize your sight but this time I took the time to write it down because I feel like you can help me.
Thank You because you truly blessed my soul! Marquita........
I have found the devotionals to be my favorite part of the morning. I was doing my bible studies every night but I found I was missing something. I found this devotional and read it every morning now. It relates to me in everyway. It somehow is just what I need to hear at that moment. I am that person who jumps line and I end up in the longer line. I change lanes and get behind the slowest car ever. If I am in a hurry I might as well not even try a shortcut to get there quicker because it is definatly going to take me three times as long as if I'd just went the regular way anyway. I felt like I was going through the motions of being a christian but not doing any of the hard work. This message has really opened my eyes and made me aware of my flaws. Thank you so much!!
jacintanavarro@fcte.com
Shortcuts? If I can take it, that's the way I'm going. Long line moving slow? I'm looking for the way around or how to move to a faster one. I am a 'zoomer' to the bone. However, I find that most of the time when I decide to move in a certain direction, my short cut mentality can move me ahead of God's plan and I wind up in a pickle. Over the years God has used some of those circumstances to teach me the wisdom of moving slower and waiting with Him. I still have a tendency to want things to happen NOW but I am learning to wait and allow God to open doors in His timing.
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