When we try to take the easy way we're doing the opposite of what our parents, teachers, and coaches have told us and what we tell our children. "Study hard. Practice, practice, practice. Work, work, work. Keep at it. Don’t give up. Don’t take the easy way out. There aren’t any shortcuts to success".
The easy way almost always ends up taking longer and costing more.
Wise King Solomon had some thoughts about this.
Ecclesiastes 7:7-9 ESV Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
The first thing we notice is that a bribe, which is nothing but a shortcut to get something without earning it, corrupts your integrity and destroys the purity of your heart
The Hard Way Made Easy.
From 31 Days to Happiness by David Jeremiah
Yes, the hard way is better. As Robert Frost said, “The best way out is always through.”
Imagine Jesus in the wilderness, on the very periphery of His ministry and mission to the world. There, in the most vulnerable possible zone of His life, the devil made his approach. He gave Jesus his three best pitches, and what were they? Shortcuts all.
“If you want food, just turn these stones into bread.”
“If you want fame, just leap from this temple, into the arms of angels.”
“If you want followers, just bow down to me.”
The devil knew exactly where Jesus was going, but he suggested the wrong ways to get there.
Yes, Jesus wanted food, but He needed fasting, not fast food.
Yes, Jesus wanted fame but through the way of the cross, not ways that were crass.
Yes, Jesus wanted followers but through victory over sin, not by giving sin the victory. The testing of Jesus was all about convenience versus commitment. He refused “wonder bread” for himself but offered it to a crowd of five thousand. He refused to make an impressive spectacle at the temple but made a shocking spectacle at the temple. He refused to accept the kingdoms of the world by bowing down to Satan but bowed down to death so that the kingdoms of heaven and earth would bow at His name.
Philippians 2:9-11 ESV Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Perhaps it came easier for someone who was the Son of God. Never think that. There was a night when Jesus prayed and wept in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking God if there might be some other way. He actually perspired in blood, which modern doctors have recognized as a legitimate symptom of profound anxiety. In the end Jesus acknowledged that God’s will was the only way, even when it was the hard way — the way of the cross.
Matthew 26:36-44 ESV Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.
And because Jesus took the hard way, He opened heaven to those on earth.
God’s Way Is the High Road
There is a saying: “Let the devil take the high road.” But in fact, the devil takes the shortcut and wants us to do the same. He knows that if we can be persuaded to take the easy way, we have shortchanged ourselves. We have sold ourselves out in the name of convenience and opened the door to selling out everything else that is meaningful.
When you are in school, the easy way is to cheat on the big test. It’s all about the grade and graduation and getting on with life, and who is going to know?
When you are in business, the easy way is to cut some corners, turn in the phony expense report, give the customer a little less than he contracted for. It’s a jungle out there, and who is going to know?
When you are married, the easy way is to give in to that extra-marital flirtation and have a little fling. It’s all about animal drives, and who can help it? Besides, who is going to know?
And when you are a parent, the easy way is to buy your kids televisions and computers and toys rather than to spend a lot of time with them. They have never turned down the gifts, right? And what difference could it make?
Then you come to a time in life when you realize you have no moral compass. There is no inner strength, no marital closeness or family solidarity. You made the journey, took the shortcuts, and this is where they led. Who knew? You — and your Lord.
Ecclesiastes 7:7-9 ESV Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
Solomon says the hard way is, in the end, the happy way. He says that it is better to make the right decision now and to be patient in spirit than to be proud. God’s way may be the hard way, but it is always the high road, and if we will simply wait on Him it will lead us to higher places in life.
As Solomon said “The end of a thing is better than its beginning.”
It’s true over and over in life. When you learned to ride a bicycle, the beginning was nothing but hard spills on the road and skinned knees and hurt pride. But once you got the hang of it, the end was worlds better than the beginning.
Your first year in high school — what was that like? Low man or woman on the totem pole, new standards, tougher teachers. But by the time you were a senior, you felt like you owned the place. The best way out is always through.
Joseph in Egypt found that out. The end was the Egyptian throne, but by way of slavery and the darkest prison in the country.
Genesis 41:38-40 ESV And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you."
Job found it out. He ended up with twice as much as he had ever had. But he got there the hard way, including the collapse of his wealth and the loss of his family. God provided two blessings for every bruise.
Job 42:10 ESV And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Jesus knew it too. His road led through a trial, beatings, and the most violent and painful death we can imagine. But the destination was an empty tomb, a glorious ascension, a seat at the right hand of the Father.
The hard way will always be tough; there are no shortcuts. But it’s made just a bit easier when we stop to remember that God never fails, that all His endings are happy ones, and that every bruise leads to deeper blessings.