Are You Afraid of Doorways?

I had a dog once who was afraid to walk through doorways. I could not help but think something awful had happened to her as she walked through doorways. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe she was just afraid of them. Perhaps she had been severely punished for going to the bathroom indoors rather than outdoors and then was shoved out the door. Or perhaps she was punished for trying to come inside. I have fallen short enough through the years with the dogs, not to mention with people, to understand the repercussions of not treating others – whether dogs or people – with love. I thank God for repentance and for His mercy. I have also been on the receiving end of mistreatment enough times to know the ramifications of the sometimes long-term effects of not receiving love and nurture. Only God knows what happened to the dogs I have had that have been afraid of walking through doorways. But laying aside the cause of being afraid of doorways, and setting the dogs to the side, I believe countless humans are afraid to walk through not just any doorways, but the most important doorways of all.

photo in background courtesy of morguefile.com

When God leads us from one location to another, or from one vision to the next one, or from one relationship to a new one, or from one job to a different one, or from one aspect of ministry to another, or from one opportunity to give to another, or from one home to one far away, or from one dream to an entirely different one, or from one of anything at all to something new, we humans can be afraid, worried, resistant, shy, angry, bitter, rebellious, etc. We don’t always have the easiest time with transitions. Many of us would rather hold on to the comfortable, the familiar, the easy, and the obvious – even when these are not His will nor even healthy and safe for us – rather than walk through the doorway to the new place God is calling us. When God calls us to make changes, some of us won’t  even go near the doorways we must walk through, others of us make it to the doorways and then race back to our old places, others of us stay stuck in the doorways, and some find the strength and courage to walk through them to where God is calling us. Some remain in our new places, while others of us hurry back through the doorways to get to the places from which we came.

The most important door in the universe is Jesus Christ because through genuine repentance of our sins and faith placed in Him as Lord who died on the cross for us, we are born again and enter into His sheepfold. But being born again is just the beginning. We must stay in the Lord’s sheepfold and follow Him where He leads us, and sometimes we find ourselves facing doorways God has set before us wondering if we can really make it through them to where He calls us. With the love and in the strength of the Lord, we can walk through our doorways and learn to be committed followers of Christ, passing through the doorways He sets in our lives and ever learning to place our trust and lives in His gentle, loving hands. I am reminded of a new husband who carries his new bridge over the threshold into their new home. We do not need to walk through the doorways God desires for us to walk through by ourselves. We can walk through them safe and secure in His merciful arms.

Are you facing any doorways? Begin by making sure they are His. Not every open door is from God. Study the Bible daily to help you develop and maintain a strong relationship with God and to know His will and be able to recognize His voice. He will never speak against His own Word. Check the doorways you face to see if they are in line with the Bible. Pray for wisdom and discernment to ensure the doorways are His, and pray for the courage and strength to walk through them as you learn to follow the Great Shepherd. 

Joh 10:7  Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 
Joh 10:8  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 
Joh 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 

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