EVERYBODY KNOWS what doors are and why they’re necessary. Eventually we come to understand them symbolically as a way to move forward with our lives. We don’t always know what awaits us with the next step, as doors block some or all of our vision. We leave the safety of what we know and see to explore what lies beyond.
We come to these metaphorical doors so often that eventually we become accustomed to the anticipation. We see an opportunity and charge through with abandon, when we really should think first.
I stared a time or two at a closed door before me, thinking I might miss a good thing if I didn’t open it. But something made me hesitate. Later I discovered that it would have been a terrible mistake to go through. But other times I hesitated and missed out on really great opportunities—or did I? I wish there were a door I could open to see what was going to happen in each option! Unfortunately, that door doesn't exist.
One time, I was encouraged to make a choice from a door that, from where I stood, looked like humiliation awaited me on the other side, but I was out of time and there were no other options in sight, so I sighed and took it! It eventually proved to be a passage to wonderful blessings for me, my family, and new friends.
I have also marched proudly through doors knowing it was the right thing to do, yet the end result was a series of nightmares filled with heartaches—and the passage back had vanished. I cried out, “I hate my life!” I don't recommend that response.
More than once I was shoved through a doorway of "what do I do now?" only to discover much later that my passage had actually taken me to a hidden path at the top of a mountain of blessings. My life would never be the same! I could never have seen or found it on my own.
So . . . what is the sense in all this? How can we have confidence in our choices?
Door experiences, no matter where they lead, can bring wisdom. I’ve come to accept that whatever God allows to touch me, wherever I end up, is part of His Good plan for my forever.
The rejected gifts—those I thought were junk—I now accept with faith, saying to the Lord, “Thank you for your kindness!” There's no substitute for time and opening and closing a few doors. I learned I should never have spoken against my own life—which was made for a good purpose by a loving Creator. What was I thinking?
When he opens a door, no one else can shut it. And when He closes one . . .
The wise learn to accept whatever comes their way with thanksgiving—even if they must struggle to mumble that, “Thank you!,” they do it. In time it becomes easier, if you ask God to point out the right doors. When you go through, believe that what’s behind THAT door is . . . well . . . perfect, no matter what it is.
God will never hold out on us. He will never give us second best or less. Adam and Eve made the mistake of believing that one day. The road has been long and hard for us because we are their children.
Believe, and teach your children to do the same as long as you can. Here's the master key to the doors of blessing:
“Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude.” (I Timothy 4:4) Don't miss the, "if"! It's tiny, yes, but so important.
The wise learn to use keys like that to unlock the unassuming door that opens to the treasure they always really wanted.
©️Copyright 2020, revised 2022, Gary Landerfelt MyPericope.com
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