When I think about short cuts the first thought that comes to mind are those moments when you are running late and need to be somewhere right now. You might be stuck in traffic that is gridlocked so in panic mode your brain switches into speed dial analysing all possible short cuts available in your current location. If by chance a short cut is possible your day is saved! You just bypassed every other commuter and were able to get to your appointment saving you the embarrassment of being late.
In life we find ourselves having to wait in many instances. We wait in queues until it is our turn. We might be waiting for the bus, a friend, or news about a job application. Mums to be wait nine long months before they get to see their baby. Waiting equals time! Our modern world has found ways to save time. You only need to think about the time saved with micro waves, clothes dryers, hair dryers, internet banking and shopping just to name a few time savers. Much of what we do today can be done from home saving time with home deliveries to doctor’s visits. We love saving time that way we can get more done. It sounds quite logical and reasonable why not save time when you can.
There are however areas of life that require patience which equals time. As humans we are not so good at waiting when it requires longer time. So we may become impatient and start looking for those short cuts. We might be unwilling to wait for our marriage to get better so we give up too quickly and take a short cut into another relationship before we have even given our marriage a chance at surviving. Perhaps we don’t have the patience to give ourselves time to heal after a broken heart and start a new relationship with all of the old hurts still attached. Or we may take short cuts by blaming other people for all the pain we feel yet fail to take time to recognise that we are hurting ourselves by not dealing with issues of the heart such as forgiveness, resentment, anger, disappointment, shame or guilt.
When it comes to broken body parts we are quite accepting that it is going to take time to heal. If you break an arm for example a doctor will plaster it up to restrict movement giving ample time for healing. You may feel annoyed at the inconvenience it causes yet you are aware that it needs to be done in order to have full use of your arm again.
In my life time I have had many temptations to take a short cut out when my marriage was struggling with issues. It seems that those temptations usually always appear when you are vulnerable to them. Thankfully in our case both of us were willing to sort through the hard stuff to get to a much better place which took plenty of time. In relationships you need to take time to communicate, forgive, be real and honest, talk about those tough topics, listen, give, understand and not quit on each other at the first sign of trouble.
Modern day has been very inventive in saving us time let’s however recognise those areas in our lives that need time without the short cuts. Let’s not get impatient with others or ourselves, after all relationships are valuable just as much as you are valuable. A broken arm reaps the benefits of time inside plaster similarly your life and relationships will reap benefits when you allow more time to consider the real issues and begin working on them. If an arm were to remain broken imagine the pain and problems you would endure! Why do we do that to ourselves and others? Don’t live broken forever as that is time lost. Gain more precious time by taking less short cuts and being courageous enough to face those issues of the heart.
The Change that changes you 