~ "I thought you said there was a shortcut???"

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

We all want the simpler way, the easier way, the softer way. Being a "Christian" means to put "Christ" in front of everything. He is the easier, softer way! Without him, we'd be doomed to an eternity of emptiness. God's mercy (through Jesus' death and resurrection) was most assuredly not the simpler solution, but rest assured it is the ONLY one. There are no tricks or secrets to attaining eternal life - there are no shortcuts. If you think of the sacrifice made on our behalf (that someone thought enough of you be delivered to the enemy, suffer a brutal death, be buried and then rise from the dead) you will undoubtedly come to the conclusion that you are special! You are a prince or a princess in your own right because you are a son or daughter of the King!

Life isn't always about what WE want. Many times its about what is best for us (whether we agree or not). God gives us what we need and in return he asks that we make a human attempt to walk in his ways. Disappointments that come are but rungs on the ladder to the father. The part that we cling to on our way up is Jesus. We can't get there without him. The higher up we go on the ladder, the more we need to hold on. We can become so full of ourselves that we forget that we must continue to reach out and hold on. We need to remain humble and teachable.

We may slip on our climb, but we will never fall, as long as we have both hands holding on to Jesus. Bring your cares to him and lay them at his feet...and leave them there. He will take them to the father and plead on your behalf. We trust in his death because it gives us life. Trust your life to him and he won't disappoint you!