The Open Door

Like many moms today, I drive a minivan with a door on each side. We have a row of three seats in the middle row, but the two on the sides are folded up leaving one row in the middle for Abby and then Andrew and Catherine sit in the back row.

Today as I took the older two kids to "Adventure Camp," I opened the back door on one side (as usual) to let the kids get out. Catherine came out and was promptly handed her $1 for the offering that morning. Andrew, however, was determined to open the door on the other side of the car which had the handle and lock blocked by the seat from the middle row being folded forward. It is not easy to do from inside the car, especially when the door is locked!

I told him to come out the car on the open side and that it would be easier. I even told him about the $1. He was still determined to go out the other side. I ended up putting his dollar back into my pocket so that I could unbuckle Abby from her car seat which required the use of both hands.

Andrew had a reward waiting for him at the open door that he could have missed out on, but he wanted his way and the temptation of independence and the other door overtook him.

God stopped me as I was walking in to the church to drop them off and He said, "Did you see that? You just watched what Andrew did with your mouth hanging open because he wanted to open a closed door. How often do you do that?"

We pray for God to close the doors for opportunities that we aren't supposed to take. We pray for God to make His will clear to us. Then we try desperately to reopen a door that God closed instead of taking a few more steps in faith to the door that is wide open.

When we ask for God to speak and show us a way, we have to not only listen, but obey what He tells us. He has our best interests in mind and can see what will happen for us and to us. Sometimes those couple of steps of extra work will allow God to bless us so fully and amazingly that we will not even remember that other door.

God, help me to seek out the open door!