Closed Door, Open Heart

As I was driving to work today I was jamming out to Infinite Green early this morning. Because I am quite familiar with the road now, I was able to let my mind wander a bit (I still drove the speed limit and was safe, I promise). I began to think about my bathroom mishap at the bowling alley. This thinking led to thinking about God.

How many times in life do we walk smack into doors God has closed and wonder why we are stuck? How often do we get confused by road blocks God has put in our way? How often do we fail to see how easy it can be if we just follow His protocols?

Just as it was easy for me to leave once I unlocked the stall door and opened it, the Christian life is the same. God has gone out of His way to make life with Him understandable. Maybe not simple, but understandable. He is not a god of confusion. He is a god of clarity.

God has a plan for each of our lives, and He is willing to show it to us. We just have to ask. In James 1 we are told to "pray to the Father, He loves to help." (The Message)

God's plan for our lives is:
1. Love and accept Him
2. Love others and share the gospel
3. Follow His few rules
A. Serve only God
B. Be faithful to your spouse
C. Be honest
D. Keep your thoughts and actions pure
E. Live holy
The rest really is just details. When it comes to eternity it isn't going to matter what we did as a profession. It isn't going to matter what our bank accounts said or how many twits we twittered. It is going to matter what we did to benefit the kingdom.

Are we doing what we need to, so that we can see the closed doors and recognize them? God will open and close doors for us, but we have to be in tune enough with Him that we recognize the door and what state it is in.

I for one would rather save myself the pain and embarrasement of smacking into more closed doors.

-JP-