Often times when a door opens up, we think it must be God’s way of saying, “This is the way you should go.” This is especially true if we’re in a desperate situation. We’re looking for the quickest way out and asking God for help.
photo by doc(q)man on flickr
Let’s say that suddenly I lost all my clients and couldn’t find a job. Then a buddy of mine tells me he heard they’re hiring at the strip joint across town. I could start right away and make $900 a week.
This is clearly an open door. Is God telling me I should take it?
Of course, no. There would be some pretty blatant moral conflicts if I took a job like this. It’s simply an open door and nothing more.
When any opportunity presents itself, we must weigh the opportunity’s pros and cons, see if it aligns with our mission and values, and seek counsel.
Conversely, too often we blame God for missed opportunities and say things like, “God closed the door.” Have we forgotten the Biblical principles of perseverance, patience, and long-suffering?
Let’s determine in advance what direction we want to go. That way we won’t be distracted by doors that are either opened or closed.
Question: Have you ever been distracted by doors that are either opened or closed?
Great post and question Michael. Yes – I have been distracted by an open or closed door in the past. For me I have to always keep clear and in the forefront of my mind Who my Source is. Years ago I worked in my friend’s real estate office as her office manager. Her business was struggling and she gradually cut my hours. She ended up having to close her office. She was so upset that she was “letting me down.” I had to assure her that I wasn’t depending on her as my financial source – God was and is my Source and He will always provide. She was offered a job in another office and wanted me to come too – they offered me a job as well. But even though it would’ve been easy to see that as an open door I should walk through, I didn’t have peace about it and didn’t go. She did and they took advantage of her and she ended up leaving shortly thereafter. I’ve learned that things are not always what they seem.
Ann, thanks for sharing that story. Rob made a comment about following our intuition and how that’s important. Sounds like you did that and it saved you a lot of stress.
Michael – Often when we are in a desperate situation, we help God along and decide for ourselves that the open door that is before us is the right one. We believe in our heart we’ve sought His counsel and wisdom, but in essence we have already made up your mind this is the direction you should go and forge ahead. You have orchestrated the plan and invited God to participate.
Some doors, like the one you illustrated, would not be a good choice and you can easily see that one, but other opportunities are a lot more subtle and would look good on the surface It looks good, seems like a great opportunity. But then you get into a situation and realize it was not a good decision after all. You see the red flags that were there all along but were blinded to in the process…because it was your plan not His.
We cannot be driven by need; God is our source of provision and will open the right door at the right time.
Cindy, I love what you said about how we cannot be driven by need.
And yeah, it’s those more subtle situations that make it crucial to have direction and goals.
maybe it’s a distraction from the true path? The Resistance trying to lure you away?
I think it could be sometimes, for sure.
Michael – well, if that $900 opportunity opened up, you gotta admit, you might be a little flattered, eh? LOL. I wouldn’t get $5 a week…Heh heh
Michael, I don’t have any experience from a career standpoint. I’ve pretty much planned for all major job changes and moves, except perhaps not looking for any doors at times?!?! That is another post maybe.
I will speak from my wife’s health issues though…when you’re trying to figure out what to do…many times we jumped in to do something for her that we never even prayed about or researched properly. Just trying to find a resolution – ended up in wasted time, money and in some cases being worse off. So yes – it can be very distracting!
Haha! Yeah, I guess I was thinking as a waiter or something. NOT one of the performers!
It’s great that you had plans and direction for the career moves. I’ll you had those for you wife’s health concerns but when nothing is working out those “open doors” get pretty attractive.
Oh yes… Absolutely…. I ended up crashing a business in the process of following what appeared to be an open door… Those distractions seem to come at those urgent moments too, when you feel like you have no other options… It’s always good to weigh what’s urgent against what truly matters… The question should be whether or not I’m reacting or have I prepared for this opportunity. When in doubt even by your own logic, always seek counsel, measure pros and cons, and don’t be afraid of the intuition.
Rob, I like your last point, don’t be afraid of your intuition! Reminds me of the Steve Jobs quote about following your heart and intuition.
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