An Open Door

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 22: Today, I am grateful for an open door. 

The Congregational Church in Clifton, IL, is where my grandparents raised my Dad and Uncle Mel. It was the only church I remember being associated with the Lindgren family. It is the church where they came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior in adulthood. I was very young, but I remember the change.

This stained glass was a focal point of the sanctuary decor. We sat on that side of the church. Grandpa taught us to twirl our thumbs and offered us hard candy when we were wiggly. 

My Dad loved this window. It spoke to his soul when he realized that the door had no knob. Someone had to open it from the inside. For him, a light went on in his head and he finally understood the window he had stared at from a childhood. 

Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts. We can recognize him when we see him. He can call us by name. He knows who we are, but we have to open the door to invite him into our hearts. 

If we let him in, he sees our mess. He sees what is broken or simply worn out by the wear and tear of daily life. Perhaps, he will want us to change something. We fail to see that He only improves what he touches. His companionship makes every day better. Loneliness becomes quiet communion with the one who died so that we might live life with a wild abandon. 

Paul once said from a jail cell letter ... and I paraphrase... "If they kill me this time, I will have Heaven with my Lord. If they don't kill me this time, I will have more days to share the good news of the Gospel." 

Saul was a religious nut... and then he encountered Jesus and was changed. Saul became Paul. Ananias had to seek out Saul... who was responsible for the death of so many of his brothers and sisters in Christ... to lay hands on him so that he might see again as the Lord had instructed. In a vision, he was told where Saul/Paul would be. He knocked on the door and it was opened. He did as the Lord had instructed, and one of the greatest missionaries of all time was healed. (Acts 9)

As I look at this image I am reminded that we have to open the door and let him in... from the inside. (Thanks Dad for repeating that illustration so many times.)

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." -Matthew 7:7-8

He never refuses the invitation to come in. Don't worry about the mess and the brokenness. He has seen worse. He will only make your days better. As a child once told me, "Jesus doesn't ask you to clean your room. He wants you to clean your heart." Open the door. He is only here to help. 

Today, I am grateful for an open door.