“Short cuts make long delays.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Sometimes, all we want are the shortcuts in life. We want things to be done quickly even if we use means that would otherwise defeat the very principles we wanted to uphold in the first place. We convince ourselves that the end would indeed justify the means.
But what we fail to realize is that by going through the tedious yet straight path, we are gaining something else. We gain courage and strength we otherwise would not have found. We gain perseverance, a virtue that is often necessary for victory, true victory. And quite often, if we are able to pursue along this path, we find surprises too, wonderful ones we wouldn’t have found or discovered had we been content to walk through the mere shortcuts in life.
“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.” – Matthew 7, WEBBE
The thing about hope is that it’s a positive force that shines the most when it’s dark. When everything’s going well, we hardly notice it’s there. But when things go against us, when our dreams fade and when we see no immediate reprieve from our troubles, that’s when hope does its best work for us.
"Where Hope Can Be Found"