Shortcuts

 May 31, 2021

There are no shortcuts in life. We think we can cut corners and it won’t matter, but sooner or later, the threads start to unravel. The last swarm I caught was easy; the branch it was on was only about a half inch in diameter, so all I had to do was hold a tote beneath it and give it a shake. The bees dropped into the tote, I put the lid on it; job done! Didn’t even need my veil.

It was a bit different today. Nate called to tell me there were hundreds of bees flying around in his backyard. I got over there within fifteen minutes, by which time they had begun to collect on the 3 1/2” trunk of a sumac. Mr. Expert beekeeper that I am, of course I didn’t need a veil this time, either. Unfortunately, the trunk was too thick to shake. I tried, but the bees didn’t let go, so I decided to brush them into the hive. Funny thing about bees—they are not fond of the bee brush and were not hesitant to let me know it. My right eye, the right side of my neck, and my right hand are testimony to their displeasure. The bees are safely hived, but I paid dearly for my short cutting ways.

Memorial Day is solemn testimony to the fact that there are no shortcuts to freedom. It was bought and maintained the hard way by young men (mostly) who fought their way through unspeakable horrors because there was no other way. Tragically, we too easily forget, and when we do, we squander what they bought at so great a price. The shortcuts we take in life will sooner or later have to be paid for because life is not pliable, conforming to our will and desires. It refuses to bend to accommodate our wishes.

It has been said that we cannot break the Ten Commandments; we merely break ourselves upon them; my eye and hand are testimony to that fact. That brokenness is repaired only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who refused to take the shortcuts offered to him by Satan himself, and who calls us to refuse shortcuts as did he.