No Shortcuts
By Shauna Leis
“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:4-6
One of my favorite holiday movies is Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn” starring Bing Crosby. There is one particular scene in it that is hilarious as the “taxi driver” has just upgraded from a horse drawn carriage to a fancy new car. He picks up the leading lady at the train station and is headed for “Holiday Inn” to deliver her to some movie scouts that will be there to catch the main act, of which she is the main star. However, unbeknownst to her the others have “sabotaged” her coming to the inn by telling the taxi driver to take a “short cut” back that will actually take then through a pond instead. The taxi driver comically answers while sitting in the middle of the pond in the car, “The horse and carriage never seemed to have a problem with it.”
Our whole family bursts out laughing at this point, even though we have seen the movie probably hundreds of times. We look at each other and say, “Shortcut to the shortcut”, just like the actors in the movie. However, as they quickly found out in the movie, most things that involve shortcuts do not work well in the end.
I have learned this through my work at Lexmark too, in project management on various initiatives. Project management requires adhering to strict processes or even creating some processes where none exist. If a project manager tries to take a shortcut during the project, typically there are dire consequences and the project is usually a complete failure, or at least not as successful as it could have been by following the right procedures and policies. Shortcuts do not help in any situation, and typically only make the project longer over time. They can even cause the project to fail completely.
Being a Christian is also a process. You do not just go to bed one night and wake up being completely changed into this new creation – although the process definitely starts instantaneously by claiming Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Being a Christian is a process where God works in us day by day - minute by minute – second by second. There are no shortcuts to becoming the full creation that God designed us to be from the beginning. Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
As the verses in Philippians indicate, God will be faithful to complete this good work that started with our lives until the day of Christ Jesus. So, what is the day of Christ Jesus that the verse is referring to? In Revelation 22:12-13 Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” This is the day of Christ Jesus – when He establishes His reign forever.
Now, unfortunately there are times when we do indeed try to take those shortcuts and “help” God out along the way. We are so incredibly guilty of trying to hold onto those pieces that we believe we can help with or we can in some way influence to the direction that we want it to go. However, we find ourselves like the taxi driver from “Holiday Inn”, waist deep in the mess we made, and unable to figure out how to get back out. Micah 7:8 gives us some comfort. It says, “Do not gloat over me my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise.” Though we have fallen into the mess we made, we can be assured that through the power of Jesus Christ in our lives, we will again rise and be used for the glory of God.
Dear Friend, God wants us to follow Him through this process called life. He will indeed be faithful to us to carry us to completion when we remain in His will. In Isaiah 25:1, God speaks through the prophet, “O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” God is the perfect project manager.
He has a “plan” for your life, just like He does mine, and it does not include any shortcuts. It will continue on every day as long as we are on this earth, and He will be faithful to complete it. All He asks is that we trust Him with each day, to lead us and guide us in the right directions, to give Him control over the project, instead of taking the lead ourselves. Will you trust Him with that plan today? Will you give control over to Him instead of taking the lead yourself?
Pray with me: Precious God, You are so in control and we are so not. God we want to turn over to You the project plan of our lives. We know that there can be no shortcuts – there are no easy ways to accomplish in us the plan and purpose to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). You have our hope and our future in Your hands and we trust You implicitly. Be our guide and keep us on the right path. Gently turn us back when we do go astray and forgive us for not being faithful. God, we love You so very much and pray all of this in the name above all names, Jesus Christ! Amen.