You stand before two doors.
One stands tall and proud, it looks beautiful from the
outside. It is quaint, adorned with flowers, and sure to contain the dreams
that your heart desires. It promises joy if you simply open it and step
through.
The other is smaller and appears old and worn. It hangs crooked
on its hinge, there are no flowers, only moss and the decay of time. It is
cracked and you can see nothing beyond it that would be of any interest to you.
You reach out for the first door. Your heart fills with the
excitement of the promise of that which you desire. To your dismay the door is
stuck; it will not budge. You feel panic rising in your chest, you feel your
dreams begin to crumble. You push, pull, kick and fight to get the door open,
but nothing works. You try hitting it, but this door is sturdy and does not
give in to your will. You feel hot tears burning behind your eyelids as you
stand eyes closed, fists clenched, the anger of disappointment and frustration
raging within you. How could this happen? How could you be so close to all that
would make you happy, and yet not be able to attain it? You begin to weep.
You hear a voice whisper to try the other door. You open
your eyes and look to the other door, though it is ajar, what lies beyond it
still appears grim and disappointing in comparison to the glorious hope that
lies beyond the first door, if you could just get it open.
You have a choice to make. Do you continue your desperate
search for a way through the door that leads to your dreams? Or do you take a
chance on the second, unassuming door? You do not know if you will ever be able
to open the first one, and though you may spend your entire life trying, you may
never find success. However, the second door is already open and though what
lies beyond it seems insignificant and unworthy of your time, it would at least
be something.
As you draw near the second door you see a distant light
straining to be seen through the dreary fog. With sad resignation, you place
your hand on the door and give it a hesitant, dispassionate push. As the door
slowly swings open you step into the unknown beyond the fog. Though the tiny
light in the distance begins to grow, you stand still in the mist and the gloom
of the utter despair that surrounds you and threatens to consume you. You close your
eyes and again begin to weep; your soul desperately screaming "why?!"
As you long for the realization of the glorious dreams that lie beyond the other door, you wonder if this
emptiness is all there will ever be for you.
You stand there for quite some time begging this not to be
your fate. You begin to feel a gentle warmth upon your face. You remain still,
eyes closed, soaking in this new sensation. You feel the panic and dread in
your heart begin to ease. You feel the burdens of failure and defeat begin to
slowly lift their crushing weight from your shoulders. You stand a bit taller. You
breathe deeply anticipating a sigh of resignation to burst forth from your
lungs. Instead you are surprised by the splendid fragrance of sweet honeysuckle
and fresh citrus blossoms on a warm spring day. As you exhale it is not the despondent
resignation you expected to feel but rather a tiny spark of hope that is
blossoming into the joy you were so certain only awaited you beyond the first
door.
You open your eyes to what your mind can only describe as a
glorious dream. Everything you thought you needed now seems so small and insignificant.
Everything you have ever needed is right here, beyond the door you would never
have chosen for yourself. You blink to
see if you are indeed awake. You turn and run to the door. You slowly ease yourself
out and around the edge of the door to see if you were mistaken about which door
you truly entered. The first door remains where it was, only now instead of
standing tall, proud, and inviting it looms menacingly. The flowers that
surrounded it are dead and a murky glow of disappointment oozes from beneath
the door. The sight of all that you thought would make you happy, now rotten
and decaying, causes you step back in astonishment. A sudden fear that this
must now also be the case for what you have discovered beyond this small,
unassuming door grips your heart and you turn in desperation to see that the
joy you experienced is still there. It was waiting for you all along.
You begin to walk in this promise of new life that you have
been given, and you no longer have any desire to look back. You find that not
only joy and purpose awaited you beyond the door you had so deeply rejected,
but a love you had never dreamed possible has wrapped its arms around you
and vowed to never leave you no matter how rough the road ahead becomes. You are finally where you truly belong…
Such is the case with life, friends. We seek so desperately
for that which will fulfill us, often missing the mark entirely. We find
heartache and disappointment at the end of our stubborn desire for what we
want, for what we think is right for us. We stand and fight to get the door to “our
dreams” open, when a much better one is waiting for us if we will only give it
a chance. This is also true of our will vs God’s plan. His design, His hope for
our future is so much more than we could ever conceive of on our own. There is
more joy, more fulfillment, more love and more peace in walking with Him than I
could have ever found in my own plans. I chose the small door and I would
choose it again, if given the chance. Believe me, it is worth it! ^_^
Just thought I would share that with y’all. ;)
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