When God closes a door, He opens a window…
I know the phrase is supposed to be encouraging, and it is certainly true, but let’s be real, walking through a door is a whole lot easier than crawling through or jumping out a window. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe the door would be too easy. Whatever would have been there on the other side, wouldn’t have challenged you, or been right for you. Having to go through the window though, that shows what you’re made of. The courage to take the harder path and not give up.
Maybe what lies on the other side of the window isn’t for the faint of heart, and you have to go through the window to see if you’re made for it. Or maybe God wants to see if you have what it takes to trust that He will help you through. The door may not have required as much trust, or faith, but getting to the other side of the window is going to require leaning on Jesus for what you need. The window may represent a whole new life or path you wouldn’t have even dreamed of if you would’ve walked through the door. The door is what you thought you wanted, but the window may be what you need.
Recently, I had two doors open that I felt for certain were from God. I didn’t know which one I would end up going through, but I felt certain one of them would be great. I thought that one of the doors had closed, so it was incredibly discouraging when the other door closed as well. However, God knew what I didn’t. The first door that I had thought closed, hadn’t. I don’t know where the journey will lead, and if it will end up being right for me, but God knows.
God is the one who placed both of the doors in my path in the first place. He knew I would feel discouraged, and He also knew that the door I thought was closed, simply wasn’t. Finding out it was still open was even more exciting. It can be easy to think the door has closed when things don’t go the way we plan, or when our idea of what we want derails, but it is important to acknowledge that while we may see the small picture, God sees the larger picture.
If you have seen the movie Monsters Inc., it can be like having that one piece of the door, but God having the completed piece, and it doesn’t work until we give God our piece, our expectations, and hopes and surrender it to Him, that the whole picture (or door) comes together. Once we have done this, we can get to the other side, and see the beautiful life God has for us. So maybe for you it is a door that needs to be completed, or a window you need to have faith to jump through, I ask, will you tough it out, not give up, and go through the window, give yourself to God, or sit behind the door welcome mat upset because the door was closed? It’s up to you. I challenge you to see what you’re made of, go through your window, and be stronger for it.
