One door closes, another opens.
That’s what we often hear.
But sometimes, it isn’t quite that simple.
Sometimes, a door slams shut
And we look around and don’t see another door around…anywhere.
We wonder.
What is GOD up to?
What are we supposed to do next?
How will we feed our family ?
What will become of us?
We keep walking on the steady path.
But it seems to get darker and darker.
We soon realize that it is becoming more and more difficult to see our way!
But just ahead, off to the side, we see a glimmer of light.
As we get closer and closer, the light becomes becomes brighter.
We see a small cottage just ahead. STOP
The red door beckons us.
We enter and immediately.
We are offered hospitality.
We have found the next place where GOD wants us.
It doesn’t look like anything we had planned for or even wanted.
But when we enter, we find warmth and love.
We find a place that needs the gifts we have.
People who have been prepared for us.
Our time there is a place of healing.
They think we came to help heal them.
And GOD used us to encourage them along the way.
But when we leave, we realize,
We were the ones who were healed.
How do you respond when you don’t see a door nearby?
What does staying on the path look like for you?
Some days, staying on the path involves GOD holding you in His hand
so you will be able to stay there.
*this is loosely autobiographical
Martha, sometimes we need more grace to stay in the place God would have us remain than to move on to the next thing. Patience isn’t my strong suit and I have yearned for change in my circumstances for many years. Yet change also causes me to cower, Staying with the familiar feels safer somehow, even with sand and dust filling my wilderness wandering shoes.
So I still look for an open door and trust God to help me take the first tentative step toward it. My soul resonates with your words:”Some days, staying on the path involves GOD holding you in His hand so you will be able to stay there.” Amen! And how grateful we are for the reassurance of His continual presence. Bless you for sharing. 🙂
yes Joy, staying on the path GOD has for us can sometimes mean we need to stay in situations we don’t like. other times, it means changing to a new and different one. either way, trusting GOD that He knows what is best for us is what we learn from these experiences…as you know. thanks for stopping by.
This is beautiful Martha. I love the thought that maybe the door God opens isn’t really to the place we wanted to go, but when we get there and spend time there, we realize it was the right place after all.
I’m praying for your husband and for you. It must be so hard to see him suffer. My husband has had 2 mini-strokes in the last 6 years, the first one a bit more serious. It was so scary. He was initially a lot better after one or two months, but it took a year or so for him to recover. I pray that God’s hand will provide grace and shade for you to rest and receive His mercy and love during these days.
thanks betsy. actually, he isn’t aware of any suffering right now. i watched him struggle yesterday to put together a 48 piece puzzle. it was very hard work for him, but he didn’t wasn’t aware of any frustration and his memory of it was that he was able to do what he was told. the difficulty is more that he isn’t aware of his limitations. he thinks he is fine. he is learning he is having to listen to assessments of others but he doesn’t feel the frustration of it all…for now.
it’s because of where the clot is in his brain. it helps me to know that time will tell what the future holds. this is his situation now but this early intervention is what makes a difference for his prognosis.
of course, the prayers and GOD’s intervention are also needed but there is a natural process for certain strokes. he seems to be going that route for his type of stroke.
for me, the difficulty is more in the waiting. i don’t wait well. and that is all i have been doing since the stroke. wait for the diagnosis. wait to see if there are underlying issues. wait to see how much damage there is. wait to see what rehab brings back. wait to see how he does when he comes home. ( a lot will come back then.)
so wait it is. 🙂
Someone else mentioned in their FMF post that closed doors can be for our protection–and that really resonated with me. Maybe some times we just need to slow down and rest along our pathway, safely enclosed in the Father’s will.
that is often true anita. too bad we don’t appreciate it at the time:) we can be like 2 year olds that way can’t we?
at other times, i think closed doors have been for my growth…in directions i might not have chosen, but growth just the same.
Martha, I can so relate to this post! It’s all about staying on the path, following straight after our Guide, listening to Him as He gives directions. I am learning to be still so I can hear HIS voice in this loud world! Thank you for your words – Blessings to you sister!
i tho’t you might enjoy hearing my perspective dianna. i’ve been in the hallway a few times. the older i get, the more i realize how often He has kept me on the path when i would have been glad to just leave.
Martha, sometimes that door seems to be no where in sight but God knows doesn’t he? God shows us the next door for us to walk through. He has a funny way of surprising us doesn’t he?
yes, he does tara. he provides lots of serendipities along the way:)
How do you respond when you don’t see a door nearby? Martha, as you know from my post this morning, “I stay in the boat!!!”
We live in the most northwestern corner of NC; Tennessee to our direct west and Virginia to or direct north. Are you going to the FMF Retreat? I will be there on Saturday!!!
i hope to go. until ron gets home (next week) from rehab and i have a couple of weeks to see how he is doing, i won’t be able to get my ticket. hopefully, there will still be one left for me. (did i mention that he had a stroke about 10 days ago? he is now in rehab and progressing well.)