"Doors"

When that old sun is setting,

And I’m calling it a day,

Fed and touched the horses,

And put my tack away.

One last chore in passing,

‘Fore I’m shut in for the night,

The barn door latch is catching,

And now it’s shut up tight.

I think of doors that opened,

And many that have closed,

At times my heart is broken,

And then healed, I suppose.

And God knew every reason,

Why things went that way,

What I chased every season,

But could not make them stay.

Doors that I kicked open,

Others that I locked,

Naively put my hope in,

Having my trouble blocked.

But getting somewhat older,

You think maybe you learn,

Your heart grows warm, not colder,

Try not to miss the turn.

And when He’s really leading,

The door no man can close,

The harvest you’ve been seeding,

There with the Spirit goes.

And when He wants to stop us,

Or redirect our go,

It’s not to hurt or crop us,

We’re glad to hear His no.

I love it when He whispers,

Let us go this way,

It’s a great adventure,

Of worship, work and play.

I like the door that opens,

And closes safe secure,

It’s all part of His wisdom,

And helping us endure.

“There is a wide-open door…” (1 Cor. 16:9, NLT)

I’m a big ready, shoot, aim kind of person. This mode has not always served me well. “Waiting on the Lord” seemed an excuse for lazy Christians who had a “lotto” mentality about receiving God’s blessings. There are some who are stuck in such attitudes and patterns of behavior. I have been someone who’s willing to make it happen whether it was God’s will or timing or not. Truth is, it’s made me early, late and just plain disobedient. Not always. But enough that I want to be led by the Spirit from now on. God is good at opening doors. When He does it is amazing. It’s equally amazing when a door closes, even though sometimes we suffer disappointment. That’s because our expectation was focused on a certain direction and set of circumstances. We can’t help it as human beings to feel this sometimes, but ultimately if we redirect our focus back to the Lord and His leadership, it will work itself out. Life becomes an adventure when we let Him lead.

Lord, open the door no man can close and close the door no man can open, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, shawncameron.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.