No Short Cuts in Life -

By Tiffany

You shouldn’t always take the easy way out. Just because it looks like the quickest route out of your problem, it may not be the best solution. Sometimes the best way is the way that takes the longest, makes us work a little harder, put in a little more effort, learn a little more.

I recently found this out the hard way. Luckily my lesson was learned on something that in the long run didn’t cost all that much, but it was still a lesson learned. Several months ago after a bad movie theater experience (went to get popcorn and no seats by the time we got it!) we took the kids to the store to buy a movie to take home and watch.

My daughter chose Strawberry Shortcake and I was thrilled. I loved it growing up and this was my chance to watch it again. Before we could ever get her turn to watch the movie she begins to play with it and stuck chewing gum all over it. I tried washing it off and realized that was more of a project that I wanted at the moment and set it aside.

Flash forward several months. This movie has been relocated to several rooms, stayed on counter tops and desks, it has been boxed and moved to our new house, but it still has not been cleaned. While in my cleaning frenzy of unpacking boxes and trying to make this house “home” with all our things in their new places, I decided it was time to finally stop the shuffling of the disc and clean it already.

LIGHTBULB! I had the bright idea I knew the quickest, easiest way to remove the chewing gum. What better to use on something gooey than Goof-Off, the goo remover! Right? WRONG!!!

Take my word for it, do not, I repeat, DO NOT use that product on a DVD! No sooner than I dabbed some on, it started to melt the movie! I tried to quickly rinse and wipe it off. No matter what I tried the movie was permanently scarred beyond repair. The good news is through all the water and soap hoping to remove the goof-off I got the chewing gum removed!

Why I didn’t try soap and hot water in the first place I will never know. Why I thought that product would be safe to use on plastic, I have no idea. When will I stop trying to take the easy way out? I felt so bad for my daughter (who does not yet know I will have to trash her movie).

There is no easy way out. There are no short cuts to most problems in life. Jesus even told us that the broad, easy way is not the way we want to go. The road we want is narrow and difficult at times, but so worth the effort.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Next time you are faced with a problem, don’t try a shortcut. Remember that though the right way seems difficult and long, in the end the results will be that much more rewarding!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!