Doors

This morning I am reminded of doors and a quote I came across that has been attributed to Helen Keller - "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."  

This quote is such a good reminder for me! In Revelation 3:8 I find, "behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it".  Unfortunately, if I ignore the open door and refuse to walk through it, it might as well be closed to me.  But sometimes it can be really challenging for me when faced with a closed door that I thought I wanted open! In the past, I never would have taken the time to look for another one that opened, but I am learning to do so.  

This weekend I had a couple of really unusual close/open door experiences.  Some people might think them trivial, and they certainly seem to be compared with other more serious closed door experiences I've had.  However, for me they are an indication that God does indeed care about the little things in our lives - not just the big ones. (Luke 12:7 - But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.)

I'll share one of these experiences here to show you what I mean. I had been very consciously praying for God's will to be done throughout the day as I looked forward to hosting a game night with friends.  We were going to have a potluck supper first, and then games afterwards.  Up until a couple of hours before the scheduled arrival time, I expected 5 people to be joining for the potluck dinner - two of whom would have to leave after dinner, and three of whom would stay to play games with us. However, a couple of hours before dinner I got two calls in quick succession, saying that they had to cancel this time - they'd join us next time!  No one that had said they were coming were actually coming!

I didn't know what to think, and it was hard to not feel a bit of rejection. Obviously I didn't need to fix the dishes I had been planning for potluck. And I knew I'd been asking that God's will be done, so I continued seeking His guidance and actively looked for what I might do instead.  There were some tasks I'd been putting off, so I started working on one of them. My husband got home and we ate a quiet supper, just the two of us.  Then we got another phone call.  This one from someone who didn't usually like to play games, so we hadn't really expected him to come though we had invited him.  His message was that though he wouldn't be there in time for dinner, he would come for the games - and was bringing a friend! So we had fun playing games that night after all - just not with who we thought was coming!

I've spent some time thinking about that experience.  I can't say that I fully understand why things happened the way they did, but I am grateful I was looking for open doors rather than just falling into a funk about everyone cancelling!  I'm also grateful I got the word about the cancellations before I had made the dishes I was planning to make - they would have been hard for us to eat up on our own, and would have taken time I didn't need to spend.  And I really enjoyed playing games and now have a couple more names on my game night list of folks that have said they want to come next time.

Father, as I look to you for guidance, I am so grateful that I can trust you to open and close doors for me!  I am so grateful that you care about everything that affects me - whether seemingly big or small.  This is a good example for me and reminds me of my own need to be faithful in the little things as well as the big ones. (Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." NKJV)  Thank you, Father for your love and your gentle guidance.  May I always accept and appreciate your guidance - even when it comes through the closing of doors! I love you, Father!