Casandra Martin

We were driving home, and saw the sign – Shortcut Rd. It was a regular street sign planted by the side of the road. Even as I was laughing, I was struck by the irony of the sign. We are all looking for a shortcut.

Shortcuts are appealing. They promise that if we get off the main path and follow this side road, we will get there faster, everything will be easier, and less sacrifice will be necessary. Nobody wants to take the long, hard road. Why do all of that work if there is a shortcut that will help us get by?

We want shortcuts for everything. The air waves are filled with commercials for getting rich in three easy steps, going to college in your pajamas, and becoming healthy while sitting on the couch and eating junk food. We want intimate relationships without transparency. We long for deep, refreshing faith while wading in the shallow waters of me-oriented spirituality. We invest tremendous time and energy in gimmicks and shortcuts that are dead ends.

Jesus didn’t take any shortcuts to the cross. The signs were there. Whispers encouraged Him to take a different path. Instead, He took the road that would create the most direct path between you and the heart of God.

My Jesus Resolution today is to follow Jesus. There will always be signs that say Shortcut Road. They offer easy plans, simple steps, and cheap thrills. But they don’t offer Jesus. There is no shortcut to transformation. Looking like Jesus is a journey that unfolds one step at a time as we walk with Him and learn to live in the rhythm of His grace.