Doors

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20 NIV)

These days we keep our homes locked up tight, even when we are home.  We are startled when there is a knock at the door that we aren't expecting and we use our peep holes and windows to check them out.  If we don't know them, we don't open the door.  And who can blame us?  It's crazy out there these days!  We need to protect ourselves and our families.

But I kind of long for the days when that wasn't the case... when the neighbor would just pop in with only a "yoo-hoo... It's me!"  Or when a college kid selling encyclopedia could be asked in and even if we didn't buy, we could have a nice chat about their future.  Open doors can be dangerous for sure.  But they can also lead to unexpected delights.

We tend to keep the door to our hearts just as tightly locked.  We are afraid.  We are afraid of being used.  Of being lied to.  Of being hurt.  We have our circle of family and friends.  We don't need anybody new in our lives... especially if they are different.

But a locked heart also locks out unexpected delights.  That "weird" person might just be the slightly eccentric friend that makes life more fun and interesting...someone who looks at life differently and makes us take another look at the way we've always done life.  That "different" person may just be the one that will rid us of that prejudice we hold against a certain group of people, because it is easy to hate a group... not so easy to hate an individual.

If doors are going to be locked all the time, why not just have walls instead?  Doors are meant to be open, at least occasionally.  Take the risk.  Maybe not with the door to your house, but risk your heart a little.  You might get lied to or used, but you might find that God has sent someone special to shake up your life in an awesome way.

Father,
Keep our hearts open to new people and new experiences.  Help us to never quit growing and learning and making new friends.  Amen.