Before the Door Closes

I absolutely love this time of year. The birds begin their concerto around 4:30ish in the morning. The sun lovingly sends her brilliance through our blinds shortly after 6am. The days are longer and the warmth envelops me in a manner that is unexplainable. Accordingly, I love sitting outside, to write, do other work, participate as of late on Zooms and to secure a healthy dose of vitamin D. Our dog, Diamond enjoys outside for a short while and then she is ready to return to her air conditioning. Whenever I'm outside and she's inside, she pouts, barks and complains, but yet when I let her out to visit with me, she wants back in. Yesterday morning I was sitting at our table outdoors and eating my breakfast. I could hear her crying at the door and whining, desiring for either me to come insider or her out. When I finished eating, I went inside to take my plate to the sink. She returned to her post upstairs. When she heard the chime associated with the alarm to signal that a door'd been open, she came rushing down the stairs and then slithering through the door before I closed it. When I tell you we laughed, that is an understatement. Diamond was determined to be on the other side of the door. After I finished laughing, I heard the Spirit of God affirm that as did Diamond, so must we be. In this season, as God opens the door, we must be prepared to rush through!

Like Diamond, we may not particularly be fond of what's next because we don't know what to do when we get to the other side of the opening. We too may not find it as comfortable as the place where we find ourselves. But when we are following God, we must trust that what He has purposed is for our good. The same comforts such as air conditioning and light may not be readily available on the other side. We must instead rely upon God, coupled with the remnants of what we learned, that morphed into our testimonies. A few weeks ago, my spouse installed a motion detecter in our backyard. It is super helpful for letting Diamond out in the evening or sometimes early morning. When we open the door, it doesn't yet appear that it's working. However, after she takes a few steps in the dark, it illuminates seemingly the entire neighborhood. This mirrors how God operates. As we move through the open door, our most immediate steps may feel uncertain and isolated - but as we trust His movement, we begin to trust our own.

I am from the school of thought that believes everything that happens is purposeful. I may not always like it and occasionally, it takes a while for circumstances to align with my spirit, but the place of reckoning is determined by my reaction. I may not like what God is doing, or be frustrated by the process, but nothing in God is wasted! Every tear, every disappointment, every sadness, every hurt, every pain shall be for His glory! And when we move to a place of acceptance, we find open doors for the taking.

We must be careful. The children of Israel murmured and complained after their deliverance from Pharoah. God provided access to the Promised Land in what is believed to be a three day's journey, that morphed into 40 years. Might we consider when we are not moving when God provides a way through an open door, that we too are demonstrating the behavior of the children of Israel? The Word of God says in John 10:10: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The abundant life might very well be on the other side of the door. We won't know until we rush down the stairs of our heart, our fear, our thoughts and our uncertainty to see what God has planned for us. And more importantly, those He has assigned to us. Let us not forgot that we are deeply connected to others and placed in the earth realm to serve as light for them in darkness. They may not receive their victory until we pursue ours! Whew! Feel that? That's the breeze beckoning you. There is purpose on the other side. Let's goooooooooo!