You Shouldn’t Just Wait for God to Open a Door
I’ve grown up hearing the phrase, “When God opens a door, walk through it.” I like the idea and honestly, lived by it for years in my life but this is a bit of an immature way of living.
First, I don’t believe that every opportunity is from God. I know for me, I had a season of my life (kind of an awkward season actually) where I had several open doors that were a great fit for my call yet, there was no peace to walk through them. I had months of people giving me opportunities and I said “no, thanks” because the timing didn’t feel right. So, I certainly don’t believe we should always say “yes” just because there is a great opportunity in front of us.
But more than that, I struggle with the idea that the things God wants us to do will always be presented in a beautiful “open door” presentation.
It is my job to help you take the Adventure God has for you and if I am going to do that then I must equip you for what that will look like. There will be times when God calls you to do something, and you will have a beautiful “open door” before you. However, that is only one experience. Sometimes, the door isn’t so clear. In fact, sometimes, God isn’t calling you to a door, but He is calling you to the wilderness to carve a new path that isn’t cleared yet. Sometimes, we are called to a closed door that isn’t opening, but it is our job to knock at this door until it opens like in the parable Jesus shared in the Gospels.
One of the greatest misconceptions about walking with God is that if we follow Him then things will be easy.
In my experience, walking with God sometimes feels like floating peacefully down a river, and then sometimes it is more like trying to get upstream against the rapids. It isn’t all “open doors” and glowing paths. Sometimes, it is more like walking through mud, in the dark, just trying to survive each step.
As Christians, we must start accepting that suffering is part of walking with God. In fact, we were born to persevere through hardship. God calls us into problems because we were created to bring solutions to them. It is in these times of struggle that we get to choose if we will do what God wants us to do even though it is hard. It is in these difficult seasons that we get to decide if we will keep persevering even though we don’t see the end.
It is in these moments that we become very aware of the weaknesses inside of us.
It is through these experiences that we get to trust God not only to guide us but to heal us and strengthen us.
Open doors are great to walk through when God gives us them, but this is only one way to say “yes” to the Adventure God has for us. Sometimes, obedience isn’t about walking through the door, but not walking through it. Sometimes, there is no “door” or even a clear path, but we follow God’s whisper as He guides us, trusting He will take us somewhere good.
If we want to take the Adventure God has for us, we must be aware that difficulty, confusion, and struggle will be part of it. Which is okay because that is all part of you becoming the amazing, strong, free person He created you to be.
The struggle you face is not here to harm you but an opportunity for God to heal you.
Don’t get stuck in a life that only looks for open doors. Learn to listen to what God is asking you to do and do it whether there is an opportunity already waiting or if you must take a leap of faith into a place unknown.
Don’t forget, the Earth is waiting for you to show up. 🌎 -Haley
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