Wow! You can tell that the spring semester is more busy than the fall semester just by looking at how much I post. That makes the posts more meaningful I guess.
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We got stuck outside our house on Sunday trying to lock and unlock our front door! The key would not move. The sad thing is that I knew my key was getting harder and harder to use each day I used it. I have always had to lift up on the key to unlock it...but not too much. Sometimes I could push the key in and out a couple of times quickly and it would do the trick. Other times...well...I don't know how I got it open.
But Sunday was different. Sunday was the day that Tanya's key wasn't working either. After her failed attempts, I gave it a whirl (because guys can always do what women can't, right?). Five minutes later (after being humbled in my pride) the door opened. I don't know what I did except get a little bit more impatient with my efforts and this dumb door!
Finally, we got it locked in time to go to church. As we were pulling out of the driveway, Tanya realized that we had forgotten something! What!!?? You are kidding me!! So, my door and I had another go-round. It didn't take quite as long, but I switched from my key to Tanya's several times. It was frustrating. The door finally opened and we went to church.
The next morning I finally got around to taking it apart and fixing our door lock. A little lever was a little bent, and it needed some lubrication. All is well now and our keys work fine. The door unlocks and opens when we want it too.
This got me to thinking (surprise, surprise!). This passage jumped to my mind:
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
I noticed the door being opened. There is no key to the door mentioned. It is not "knock and a key will be given so you can open the door." No, knock and the door will be opened to you. It is not by my power that the door opens. The door just opens. It is not by my efforts. It is not by my efforts. God is working, not Chris.
Let us knock on the door and have the patience for it to open.
Showing posts with label closed doors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label closed doors. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Thursday, March 31, 2005
What is God's Will For Me?
I ask myself this question more times than I care to admit. This is a tough question because I feel myself being pulled in so many different directions, especially at this point in my life. I just graduated. Kayla was born. We are looking for God's direction in the midst of everything.
Recently, we just made the decision to leave the Mission Miami team. We were asking this question. Does God want us to continue with the team? Does God want to use us somewhere else? The crazy thing about this is that we thought we wrestled with this last summer when we made the decision to get on the Mission Miami team! So now what is the deal, God?
It basically came down to closed doors. Everywhere we turned, we found closed doors. The deciding factor was the door of funding for our work. We couldn't even make our monthly rent payment! This forced both of us to try and work full-time to cover our expenses, train full-time to prepare for Miami, fundraise full-time to actually get to Miami, as well as be full-time parents. We felt this was too much for us to handle at this time in our lives. It seems like God was speaking here. Is this what Luke was talking about when he says, " [Paul and his companions] tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to." (Acts 16:7)?
Right now, we are asking this question again but in a different sense. Now that we are looking for ministry jobs, where do we go? Do we go to Vermont? California? Texas? Within Texas do we go to Grand Prairie? Huntsville? Wichita Falls? We are researching all these places to see how God can use our gifts most effectively. We will see how the hand of God works here, but probably only after the fact.
Conclusion: I believe the only way to be absolutely sure of the will of God is in the times that we are looking back at situations rather than in the situations themselves. In the meantime, we trust that He will guide our paths.
Recently, we just made the decision to leave the Mission Miami team. We were asking this question. Does God want us to continue with the team? Does God want to use us somewhere else? The crazy thing about this is that we thought we wrestled with this last summer when we made the decision to get on the Mission Miami team! So now what is the deal, God?
It basically came down to closed doors. Everywhere we turned, we found closed doors. The deciding factor was the door of funding for our work. We couldn't even make our monthly rent payment! This forced both of us to try and work full-time to cover our expenses, train full-time to prepare for Miami, fundraise full-time to actually get to Miami, as well as be full-time parents. We felt this was too much for us to handle at this time in our lives. It seems like God was speaking here. Is this what Luke was talking about when he says, " [Paul and his companions] tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to." (Acts 16:7)?
Right now, we are asking this question again but in a different sense. Now that we are looking for ministry jobs, where do we go? Do we go to Vermont? California? Texas? Within Texas do we go to Grand Prairie? Huntsville? Wichita Falls? We are researching all these places to see how God can use our gifts most effectively. We will see how the hand of God works here, but probably only after the fact.
Conclusion: I believe the only way to be absolutely sure of the will of God is in the times that we are looking back at situations rather than in the situations themselves. In the meantime, we trust that He will guide our paths.
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