Closed Doors and Faith!!

Yesterday on my Facebook page I shared a bit about setbacks and closed doors. Today, on here I want to expand on that and show you some examples of people who found "closed" doors and what they did to open another one.

In life, we go about our business and do what we have to do to get things done. We put in our hard work and we expect to reap the benefits of that work. Sometimes, though the benefits come, they are delayed. Take for instance what happened to me yesterday. You all know that I started my own company and I'm trying my best each day to get it built up and into what God wants it to be. There are a LOT of things that go along with a company, and one of the most important things is your start up capital. While I had that, I still wanted some type of grant that would give me the freedom to work and NOT use my own money, LOL. Let's face it, who wants to sink what they have into something when the government gives grants, right? So I applied for one and was turned down because apparently in this state there are other, more important things to give money to than a production company, which is understandable. LOL. So, while that news wasn't devastating, it was not what I wanted to hear yesterday afternoon while I was getting my hair done.

But, in business and life in general, you have to be flexible. You have to roll with the punches and find alternatives. When doors are locked, assume that isn't the door you're supposed to enter and go to the next one. If it's locked too, move on and keep trying until the right one opens. Believe me, it will open.

Anyway, I got to thinking about people in history who found themselves at "locked doors", in a sense. People who needed to find other alternatives to aid in getting their jobs done.

The first one I thought of was the man in the Bible in Mark Chapter 2. This man and his friends had heard that Jesus was in their city and they knew if they could get him to Jesus that he would be healed. So I figure that they got all excited and had a big conversation among them, "hey, have you heard about that man Jesus? They said he could heal you, so we're all gonna take you over ot the place he's staying and get you healed!!" I imagine, they got the man hyped up about it to. They would have to have been pretty excited about it, to go to the trouble of packing him down to where Jesus was to get him healed. I'm sure it wasn't the easiest thing to pick him up and take him down there, but they knew what the outcome would be and so they loaded him up and set out.

I can just see them now, smiling and laughing, probably making plans of what they were all gonna do with him, once he could walk again. But when they got to the house, they found a crowd so huge that the door was blocked off. They couldn't even get in the DOOR!! There it was. A closed door.

Well, I imagine the man on the bed was probably a little let down. He was probably like, "man, we come all this way and can't even get in".

But his friends saw the big picture. They knew if they could get him to Jesus, he would get better. And they just wanted their friend to get better. To be himself again. So they looked around, surveyed the situation and decided that they would go through the roof. Can you imagine having that much gumption? To go through a roof to get what you came for? But they kept their minds set on what they KNEW would happen for them if they could only get to the one who made it all better.

We all know that when Jesus saw them, he was happy at their faith and he healed the man.

Another example is Zacchaeus. He was so short that he couldn't see Jesus in the crowd. So what did he do? He run and jumped up in a tree!! He didn't let the "closed door" around him stop him from getting what he wanted: a glimpse of Jesus. So when Jesus saw him and his persistence, he called him by name and told him that he wanted to visit him.

Those are two wonderful examples of how people didn't allow circumstances to stop them from achieving what they wanted. They knew that end result and they kept their minds and eyes set on that goal. When they encountered "closed doors", they chose another route and it paid off.

Yesterday I found one door to be closed, but what did I do? I found another one. We'll have to wait and see if it's closed or open. But either way, I won't stop until I reach the goal I started with.

Be like the lame man and his friends, if you can't get in a door, go through the roof. Be like Zacchaeus. If you can't see what you want, climb a tree to get to it. Do whatever it takes to get you to the place you want to be. Don't let anything stop you. You might miss God's blessings if you quit just shy of the goal.

I'm sure it wasn't the easiest thing to haul their friend up a side of a building and lower him down, but they did it. They wanted what they came for and Jesus was mindful of that. He was pleased that they took the time to seek Him out and he healed the man because of their faith.

Take time to find an alternative to your "closed door" and I'll guarantee you that God will take time to bless you because of your faithfulness.

Remember to work hard and Dream Big!!

Much love,

Christy