Shortcuts

My husband has worked with J for many years. They do a lot of database programming together. They are very familiar with how the other one thinks and behaves. My husband laughs about their shortcut language: “Remember that thing we did in that other place? You know, the one that kinda did something? Do that again.” Literally that’s the conversation. And because they know each other so well, they can use these kind of shortcuts in their conversation.

Shortcuts often exist in strong, deep relationships. The mental bridges that connect shared memories and knowledge allows each party to trigger an understanding without explaining the entire thought process. This type of shortcut is unfathomable to others because they don’t share the same common base of understanding. You see this between husbands and wives, between old friends, and sometimes between parent and child. Sometimes it’s called the “inside joke”.

Consistent, sustained Scripture reading creates a similar kind of shortcut. The more we know God and His heart, the more we can go back to His word easily and quickly, the deeper our relationship with Him becomes. Scripture provides a common base of understanding about God’s heart – it can be the shortcut for us when we are praying, when we are working, whenever we are practicing the presence of God. Scripture reading does not replace our conversation with God – it gives us the inside track on God’s viewpoint.

Sometimes, it also gives us the inside joke.