Shortcuts, Anyone?

   When our oldest son was a senior in high school, his academic grades placed him in the No. 2 position in his class. As salutatorian, he had the opportunity to give a short speech on graduation day. He was also a runner, successfully participating on the track and cross country teams in those years.

   I can remember the day of the talk, the setting and our pride in his accomplishments, but I can't pinpoint the  exact lesson in the address. The one thing that sticks in my mind about what he said was related in a story that had happened some few weeks before that graduation day in 1980. The incident centered around the exploits of one Rosie Ruiz, who finished first in the Boston Marathon in April of that year, later to be stripped of that title for cheating. It seems as though Ruiz began the race, then slipped away and took public transportation to near the finish line, jumped in the race pack there and finished. There is still the question of whether or not she was trying to win, but she did not tell race officials any different when awarded the prize and honors of the victor. She may have jumped into the race at the wrong time, placing her ahead of the fastest women runners, but accepted the accolades that she did not deserve.

   In using the story of Rosie in his talk, I don't recall if he made the point of trying to get ahead by shortcuts, but I do know that acting like that runner, was not his way of doing things. Dwayne was a hard worker, both in the classroom and on the track, and it paid off in high school, college, grad school, and in the working world. I remember many nights he would go downstairs after dinner and not emerge again until everybody went to bed (and this was before video games or computers). His study habits were great. He also ran 12 months out of the year, often early in the morning or late at night, to be at his best for a race.

   So, how does all of this fit into a Oswald Chambers' devotion on obedience for this day?

   Shortcuts don't work that well in any part of life. We can shortcut ourselves right out of God's blessing, and right out of the good feeling of accomplishment that hard work and perseverance brings.

   In the short run, Rosie's way might seem good and easy, but I think I will go with Dwayne's, and the blessings that go with that lifestyle.

   A short postscript is needed here. Donna and Doug, our other two kids, are cut from the same cloth as Dwayne. All three have accomplished much in their lives through their diligence and work, but they just did not use the story that I needed for my illustration. I'll get them later on.