12 June | Youth
«Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways.» Proverbs 2:12-13, NIV
Samuel was driving at high speed. He was in a college town, far from his home. He went to a party. As he was driving dangerously, someone suddenly shouted from inside the car: “We missed the U-turn! You had to turn right there!” The GPS showed that the next return was three kilometers away. Upon realizing that he had missed the U-turn, and encouraged by drunk and intoxicated companions, he decided to “take a shortcut.”
He was already used to acting risky and always finding “new” ways. He did this in traffic, in college and in life in general. Following his trend, Samuel decided to go over the curb by driving the car over the sidewalk to get to the other side of the highway. He was in a hurry.
However, the boy did not know that that stretch was considered dangerous and that it had already caused several accidents. In the place where he “turned,” there was a camera monitoring traffic 24 hours a day. Furthermore, a police patrol was always around. The adventure did not end well. Samuel got a ticket. To make matters worse, the vehicle was impounded, because the document was expired. If that was not enough, Samuel was driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs that day. One mistake after another.
Think about your life. In what situations have you taken shortcuts or easier paths? In Proverbs 2:12 and 13, the wise man shows that it is not right to deviate from the straight path and venture into unsafe and dark places. Sometimes, what is cheap is expensive, and what is short can become too long. Many paths take us further from where we are willing to go.
Do not forget: shortcuts shorten the journey, but they can be tortuous and lead to unwanted destinations; they propose to take us faster, but they can take us where we do not want to go. In general, shortcuts have no signage or rules. In spiritual life, they represent dark and aimless paths.
It is not worth the risk. Walk on straight paths! Evaluate the choices you have made recently and check the routes you have taken. Be wise, and do not get carried away by what appears to be easier.