Good morning and happy Chiefs’ Saturday!
The other day I saw a video clip that was hilarious. There was a kid standing at a set of glass doors. He was pushing on one of them with all of his might and it was not opening. He was so upset that the door wouldn’t open that he was frustrated and crying. Nevertheless, he stood there determined to get that door open. He kept pushing and pushing and crying and crying. What he was totally oblivious to was the fact that the other door was standing wide open. An older child appeared on the scene and pointed out to the crying crusader that he could just go through the other door. He even demonstrated it for him. At last, you begin to think, the kid can finally move on with his journey. In fact, it appeared that he stopped crying for a second while listening to the helpful advice. But that was short-lived. He immediately starts pushing on the door again and crying.
What makes this funny, and maybe a bit pathetic, is that we can all relate to it. For instance, you walk up to a store and push on the door a couple of time and wonder why it won’t open. Then you notice the little sticker that says, “pull.” You buy a ready-to-assemble item with its 27,000 parts and pieces. Of course, the directions are written by someone that has put it together so they might not include all of the steps. You are also left wondering what “counterclockwise” means since everything you own is digital. In other areas of your life, you keep trying the same thing over and over, but you still can’t get different results. It is enough to leave you frustrated and wanting to cry. You feel like you are trying as hard as you can but getting nowhere.
Sometimes we make plans for our lives. We believe we know where we are headed and figure out the steps to get there. But then somewhere along the way, we hit a roadblock. It is as if a door has closed in front of us. But instead of recognizing that maybe the Lord is seeking to redirect us, we are like that little kid – we keep pushing and pushing on the door we have chosen. We try as hard as we can, but it simply won’t budge. It can make us frustrated, and we might even begin to question God’s goodness to us. We begin to wonder why He won’t help us. Why did He lead us to this point and then stop us in our tracks? It is at that point that we need to look around. He is likely there seeking to show us where the open door is. The question is whether we will follow His lead or continue trying to break down the door we want to go through.
There are other times in our lives that doors close and thins don’t’ go well because of the sin in our lives. There is a good example of that in Joshua 7. After the incredible victory at Jericho, the Israelites think they have things figured out, so they develop their own plan and do battle with a small army at Ai. Instead of it being a cakewalk, they get their tails kicked (paraphrase of the Message translation). Beginning in verse 6, we read of Joshua whining before the Lord. We then read of the Lord’s response to him pointing out why they were defeated.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening, as did the elders of Israel; they all put dust on their heads. 7 “Oh, Lord God,” Joshua said, “why did you ever bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites for our destruction? If only we had been content to remain on the other side of the Jordan! 8 What can I say, Lord, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies? 9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will you do about your great name?”
10 The Lord then said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen facedown? 11 Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put those things with their own belongings. 12 This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you what is set apart.
As you journey your way through this year, keep in mind that the Lord is seeking to guide you. If you encounter doors that are closed, that is a good time to pause and evaluate why. Is the Lord seeking to delay you for a period of preparation or revitalization? Is he seeking to redirect you to a different door that He has opened for you? Or, has the door closed for the time being due to sin on your part? These are all questions worth considering as you travel along the road of life. But whatever you do, don’t just stand there pushing and pushing and crying and crying. That will not get you anywhere.
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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