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Have you ever tried to take a shortcut to save time, only to have it blow up in your face?

When I was about nine years old, growing up on a cattle ranch in Ellensburg, my sister, a neighbor, and I were herding cattle in the mountains. Naturally, we turned it into a game and started racing our horses down a winding mountain road.

I was incredibly competitive and desperately wanted to win. As the main dirt road curved into a long, slow loop, I looked through the trees and spotted what looked like a perfect shortcut. It was a gap in the brush that seemed to cut straight across the curve.

I didn't want to follow the long road. I wanted to bypass the curves, cut the corner, and take the lead.

So, I pulled the reins, gave my horse Sarley a quick kick, and forced him off the safe road and into the trees. For about two seconds, I felt like a genius. I thought I had beaten the system.

But a couple of strides in, Sarley dipped his head and kept charging forward. I looked up just in time to see a thick, solid, low-hanging pine branch right in front of me. It hit me square in the chest.

In a split second, I was swiped completely out of the saddle. I flew backward and landed flat on my back in the dirt. All the air was violently knocked out of my lungs. I lay there in the dust, gasping for air, staring up at the sky, bruised and helpless, while my horse kept running down the trail without me.

My "brilliant" shortcut left me flat on my back.

We do this exact same thing in our lives all the time, don't we?

In one of the ancient biographies written about Jesus' life, his closest friends were in a similar state of panic. They were crowded into a hot, candle-lit room, and their world was spinning. Jesus had just told them he was leaving, that someone was going to betray him, and that their group was about to scatter.

They wanted a shortcut to make the fear go away. They wanted a map.

Here is what happened:

⁶ Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth, and the life! Without me, no one can go to the Father. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him."

⁸ Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need."

⁹ Jesus replied: "Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don’t you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn’t just to show what I can do. It is all done by the Father, who lives in me. ¹¹ Trust me when I say that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me. Or at least believe me because of the things I do."

(John 14:6-11 — Contemporary English Version)

A man named Philip, who was very practical and loved logical directions, looked at Jesus and basically said, "Just give us a sign. Show us God directly. A flash of lightning, a giant vision—anything physical. Just give us a shortcut to feeling secure, and we'll be fine."

He wanted a checklist. He wanted a formula. But Jesus looked at him with incredible tenderness and said, "Philip, I’ve been right here with you this whole time. If you’ve seen how I love, how I heal, and how I care for people, you’ve seen God."

When life gets stressful or out of control, I don't want the slow, daily trust it takes to walk with Jesus step-by-step. Sometimes, I want a shortcut.

Sometimes I take the shortcut of overworking to try to prove my worth to the people around me. Sometimes I take the shortcut of trying to micromanage and control everyone so I can feel safe. Sometimes, when my ego is threatened, I use my authority as a shield so I don't have to admit I am struggling.

And every single time, I end up feeling just like I did when I was nine years old: swiped out of the saddle, lying flat on my back in the dirt, exhausted, out of breath, and wondering how on earth I got there.

But here is the most beautiful thing about Jesus: He doesn't stand there, shaking his head in disappointment, or telling me I got exactly what I deserved.

He is the Way. And because he is the Way, he actually comes down into the dirt with us. He sits right next to me in the dust while I try to get my breath back. He looks at me with tenderness, gently helps me to my feet, and walks with me back to the path.

You don't have to have your life perfectly organized or clean to meet him. If you find yourself flat on your back in the dirt today, look up. He is right there in the dust with you, ready to help you take the very next step.

If you find yourself flat on your back today, or if you are feeling the bruises from a shortcut that didn't work out, take a quiet moment to bring that honestly to God. You don't need highly polished or religious words.

Read through this simple prayer, and then take a brief moment to finish the last sentence in your own heart:

"Dear Jesus, thank you for being there when I need you. Thank you for helping me find my way. You are the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, it's only through You that I can get to heaven.

I've been trying to do things on my own. Please help me..."

Text Pastor Vic at 509-919-1897 if you'd like to talk.