It’s the sort of statement, in the middle of a sermon, that makes it difficult to concentrate on the rest of the message.
An open door is not always God’s will, and a closed door is not always God’s rejection.
I think he’s telling me I can’t trust my circumstances to determine the direction Jesus wants me to take. I knew that, but…
What if that open door leads precisely where I wanted to go anyway? That’s gotta be a sign, right?
And what if the closed door shuts off a path I really didn’t want to take anyway. Surely that’s God telling me I was right. Right?
Sadly, I don’t think it’s that simplistic.
A personal example – when Becky and I started doing bike rides, we raised money for Convoy of Hope, an amazing organization that does remarkable work all over the world. We worked with them for several years.
Maybe you’ll understand what I mean when I say we just never felt completely “connected” with that work.
Then we had the opportunity to do a ride for International Justice Mission. That ride was our introduction to the issue of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. During that ride, we encountered a quote I’ve shared before:
You may choose to turn away, but you can never say again that you did not know.
Driving home after that ride, Becky and I became convinced that we could not turn away. We had to do something.
We investigated, and eventually connected with Project Rescue and the Home of Hope we’ve worked to support since 2013.
Supporting Convoy of Hope wasn’t wrong. God didn’t close that door.
I believe that, because we continued to try to listen and trust, Jesus nudged us in the direction of our gifts and passions.
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