No Shortcuts

Yesterday, we were on our way to Subic. We passed through a route that's supposedly a shortcut going to NLEX road. To our surprise, the shortcut was closed. We had to look for another way to get to NLEX which cost us an extra hour of travel.
There are things in life that we want to arrive at, and we'd want to take a shortcut rather than the usual route. Things like wanting to change people right away, changing systems, losing weight, or having substantial income. We want to get there right away, as fast as we can. We forget that in taking shortcuts, there are valuable lessons that we miss out. Lessons like patience, valuing hardwork, spending quality time, and appreciating process. In life, there are no shortcuts. Get quick rich schemes may lead us to nothing in the end. Crash diets will let us lose weight at first to eventually gain back more than how we started. We are frustrated in demanding instant change in people, while not spending time to understand them, train them and help them.
Also in faith, there are no shortcuts. We have to deny ourselves, carry our crosses and follow Him. This is the road to heaven. Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24. We may have crosses to bear, and how we wish they were all gone. But these crosses bring us to our salvation and are sent to us for a purpose. There are no shortcuts, only one way...through Jesus Christ. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6