“So those that entered [the ark], male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in” (Genesis 7:16).
There was once a woman who had lived with much heartache and disappointments. She didn’t understand why her life had not gone as she had planned. She had dreams when she was young, but life had broken her until she no longer hoped for the future. Instead, she mourned for what once was hers which she had lost to the world long ago. She kept revisiting the past, wondering what she had done wrong and how she could change things.
One night, she had a dream. She stood in a long hallway facing a closed, red door. She knew what she longed for was on the other side of the door. With all her strength, she tried to open the red door. But it would not budge. She kicked, ran against the door with all her weight and strength. Defeated, she sank on the ground before the door in sorrow. Suddenly a light shown around her and a gentle voice said, “I shut that door for a reason.”
“Why, Lord? Behind that door was all I wanted. Why can’t I have it back?”
Jesus gently answered, “Because I have a much better door ready for you. But first you must leave the closed door behind.”
So many times we stand before a closed door. We long for a past that is gone and is not coming back. We look at it through rose-colored glasses, not remembering the pain and heartache beyond the door. We try and try to kick that door down without realizing God has closed that door for a reason. We cannot look to a better future unless we let go of our past. We have to trust in God’s plan, knowing blessings and a future await us. But we have to stop standing before the closed door. God has shut that door and opened another.