"Stay Focused"

The story is told of a beautiful bird that was known for his great singing. One day, a man walking through the woods passed by a tree and heard the beautiful bird singing. The bird noticed that the man was holding a box in his hand.

The bird asked, “What do you have in the box?

”The man replied, “Juicy earthworms! I will sell you a worm for one of your beautiful feathers.

”The bird pulled out a feather and exchanged it for a worm. He thought to himself, “Why should I work so hard to get worms when it is so easy to get them this way?

”The man and the bird repeated this process over the course of many days, and soon the bird no longer had any beautiful feathers to pay for worms. He could no longer fly, and he was no longer pretty. He didn’t feel like singing, and he was very unhappy. 

Just like this bird many times we are tempted to look for shortcuts in our lives. One said it this way, “If you keep your attention on learning the tricks of the trade, you will never learn the trade.” Eventually we learn that there is no shortcut to success. One of the hidden truths of life is that the path to the prize is always more valuable than the prize itself. Shortcuts rob us of valuable lessons we need to learn along the way. 

Be persistent and stick to the path where the Lord has placed you. Don’t allow bumps in the road to detour you to seemingly easier paths, but allow the Lord to help you overcome every obstacle and teach you on your way.