When I look back at some of my career opportunities (and those that weren’t) I’ve learned to be grateful for closed doors.
Encouraging someone recently, I offered this, “You have to believe that you deserve a good life. A happy, meaningful and beautiful life. Every time the door closes is a test of faith; sometimes you won’t know till years later what was on the other side. You just have to believe that He knows the plan for you and trust that it’s good.” Tears filled my eyes as I said what I did and – truth be told – these words weren’t mine, someone gave me this message to share and I did.
We have all had times when the door closed — moments that, looking back, weren’t for you in the first place. Dead-end jobs. Bad people. Relationships that suck the life out of you.
Like the faithful being led out of bondage, a shut door can be a metaphor for the closing of the Red Sea. No more chains on us!
When this happens, yes sometimes I stare at the lock for a while. Other times I see things for what they are and give a prayer of gratitude for the people who rejected me, the superior who discounts me, the friend who slights me. That’s when I dig my heels in and move forward anyways. And I always find that, had I remained where I was, I would have missed where I am.
Every time He shuts a door, there is something better coming. I’m sure of it.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
What closed doors are you grateful for?
