Doors

We've all heard the saying that whenever God closes a door, He opens another one. There is never a time in life that we are stuck if we have placed our trust in the Lord. There are times that God closes a particular door and we have no idea why! The "door" may be any number of things but whatever it is, we don't like having a door closed in our faces. We are creatures of habit, and we like to take the easy road through life. I mean, who wants to choose the hard way if there is an easy way? Would you rather drive to Halifax or walk? It is a simple thing. Well sometimes the reason that God closes the doors that we are ready to walk through is because He is sparing us from something. Maybe the reason that your car broke down on the way to Halifax (we'll use that as our example), is to keep you from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe if there wasn't some delay, you would end up in a serious accident. Maybe there would have been something even worse if you hadn't have been delayed.

Sometimes though, instead of closing a door to spare you, God closes a door to give you something much better. Years ago, Monty Hall hosted the game show "Let's Make a Deal." Now, there is a remake but the premise is the same. You are presented with blind options and you must choose which prize you would rather have. For example: "Would you like the money or what's behind door number 2?" We need to remember that to God, these are not blind options. He is omniscient, which is a fifty-cent word for all-knowing. He knows what is behind each and every door that we face in life.

I speak from experience when I say that if God closes a door, it is because He has something so much better in store for you; you just need to trust Him. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us about the fact that God has a plan for each of us. This plan is to give us a future and hope. God's plans are never to harm us or be detrimental to our journey with Him. So, sometimes God closes a door to protect us, and sometimes it is to reward us, and it is also a way for Him to give us something so much better than what we had before. As I said, I speak from experience.

I had a really hard time a while back when it seemed like the door to my future was slammed shut on me. Little did I know at the time how happy I would be once the door was closed. God always blesses those who will remain faithful to Him even during hard times. When doors are closed in life, instead of looking at what you "lost" instead look at all that you have. I still have a wonderful, loving family. I have a very bouncy, perpetually happy beagle who is truly one of this man's best friends. I still have my ministry and the calling on my life. In addition, God has since opened other doors in my life, one of which I am especially thrilled about.

For those of you who have me on facebook or talk to me regularly, you know that I am dating an absolutely wonderful woman named Laverne. She is a kind, sweet, loving, compassionate, thoughtful and caring person, and she will probably turn beet red reading this because she is so humble as well. Right now we are many miles apart, but as those of you who truly know what love is, physical distance does not dictate the heart. You can be directly beside someone and never have a real connection, or it can be a forced one.

On the other hand though, you can be miles away and still have such a strong connection to someone. I am so glad, and I thank the Lord that He DID close the doors that He did. Without them being closed, I never would have met my Verny. She truly is special, and proof that God always knows what He is doing. He brought two people together that likely never would have met, and built a bond between us that is only strengthened each day. To those of you out there who are still standing in front of closed doors, it is time to realize that God has a much better plan. That plan may be behind door number 2 or 3 or whatever, but God knows where He is leading. Won't you let Him lead you?

PB Jr.