Swinging Doors….

Whenever I am waiting for an answer to something, I start to think of all the doors that have opened and closed in my life over the years, and boy have there been a lot!  Some, I never thought would swing open, while others slammed shut and left me hunkered down wondering “Why? What am I to do now?” But as I have “grown up” ( if you can call it that, I just like it better than “grown old”), I can see how important it is to stay settled in the fact that all I really want is God’s will in my life. His Perfect Plan for me at this moment in time. It might not always look the way I have planned or dreamed it would be. It’s not always comfortable, in fact I can say rarely has it been. But again, with age I have come to know that he always knows what is best for this girl. He always sustains me and gives me what I need to cross a new or old threshold. He always equips me for where he is leading me.

At times is can take a lot of courage, self love, and faith to walk through a new door or shut an old familiar door that we love. I had a dear friend call this weekend who was questioning, “Is this it?” I said, “It was for today, but trust in the fact that the doors of our lives are always opening and closing.” The most important thing is to remember to not stand fixed on the shut door as you might miss a new exciting door or window that has swung open with possibilities. They are always in full swing.

One thing we can count on is change, whether we grow old, change jobs, move, have babies, have children grow up and out of the house, are married or single, make new friends, or have to deal with family or friends that leave us or are taken out of our life….life has lots of doors for us to step through.

I have said a daily prayer for quite some time now…I ask God to bring into my life what is pleasing, to open the doors that are leading me in the direction of his will for my life…..and to keep the doors shut to things that are not pleasing or part of His plan. This can be a scary prayer if you are not ready to have a few doors shut or one swing wide open! I know this first hand.

The one thing I do know to be true is that I have never stepped through a doorway alone, be it part of the plan or a detour of my choosing because I thought I knew best, He was always with me.  In the end I have found that there is a deep comfort and safety that comes from knowing who’s hand is on the doorknob, leading the way! It’s like I hear Him saying as He opens the door…”Ladies First, but fear not for I am right behind you all the way!”