There are No Shortcuts to the Cross

Walt Disney World is described as “the happiest place on earth”. But to someone waiting anxiously for a chance to ride Space Mountain, there is nothing happy about the long lines. It may be hot and humid or the guy behind you smells…icky…, so much so that you really wish you could bypass the long lines. A shortcut if you will.

While shortcuts can have many positive outcomes, sometimes it’s best to allow God the time to prepare our hearts and bodies for our destiny.

For the last three summers I have had the privilege (and it truly is a privilege) to attend Music and Worship Arts Week at the Lake Junaluska Assembly in North Carolina. If we are metaphorically climbing “Jacob’s Ladder”, Lake Junaluska is the final rung before heaven itself. I absolutely love every detail of Lake J.

Music Week often overlaps with the Youth Week. Since my group from Purvis United Methodist had a few kids who were doing both music and youth, the adults such as myself stay a few extra days to be with those kids. On the last night of Youth Week, something incredible happens. The only way I know to describe it is holy.

You see, on the very last night, all of the youth leave their retreat center and travel by foot up the mountain to the very summit. It’s a long walk. And they have to do it in complete silence. Imagine a couple hundred people trying to be super quiet. It can be challenging to say the least. The whole walk is a time of deep contemplation. We are to be in constant communion with the Lord the whole time. Did I mention it’s a long walk?
Uphill.

When we finally reach the top of the mountain, we are greeted by a massive, fully-lit cross. The lights on it never burn out. It is there as a beacon of hope, drawing eyes from all over the lake. At the foot of the cross, we place a marble in a bucket. (They give you the marble when you exit the youth building.) The marble is representing the conversations we have had with our Father on the journey up the mountain. When we reach the pinnacle, we leave our marble at His feet as a representation of total surrender.

The travelers all sit together in an outdoor amphitheater of sorts just below the cross. Only the view of the lake and endless mountains are before us. It’s incredible. Finally, we start to sing “Pass it On”. At the part of the song that says “Praise God”, we shout it as loud as we can. Then, the mountains sing it back to us! The echoes go on and on. It’s chilling just how holy that moment is. Scripture tells us in Luke 19:40 that when we are silent, even the rocks cry out and bust into cheers for their Maker.

It’s a humbling experience touching that cross. But it’s a long walk. Think of what we would have missed out on had we tried to take a shortcut. There are no shortcuts to the Cross. Each and every step is preparing us to reach our final destination with our Heavenly Father. Keep persevering, my friend. The Cross is so worth it!