Front Doors

Today during my morning walk, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to pay attention to the doors of all of the houses in my neighborhood. I have walked by these homes countless times, but frankly, I never before paid full attention to only the doors. It was actually quite intriguing.

First, I wondered about the decision to have a storm door or not. When we bought our home, it did not have a screened storm door, and that was one of the very first things we added. It is important for us to have the front door open as much as possible, allowing a fresh breeze in. Of course on hot summer days and the frigid days of winter, the door remains closed, but as much as possible the door is open. I think this sends the message, “you are welcome here.” That is certainly very true for us.

While on my walk, I noticed there were a few homes without storm doors. I took note of that along the way. Some had such beautiful, ornate front doors, it was obvious the owners did not want anything detracting from the main entrance they had selected. Some looked as though there might have been a storm door at one time, but may have become in disrepair, leaving a bit of hardware behind.  Others seemed to just be without a storm door because the door was not used much. To me this seemed to express a somewhat “not welcome” tone.

I also noted the decision regarding color of the main door. Some chose to match trim around the rest of the house, while others had doors with a totally different pop of color. About half were simply white. Some had ornate windows; others had side windows. Some had fancy detailing; others very simple. Some had beautiful decorations regaling the door. Others remained unadorned.

What struck me most about this attention to the neighborhood doors is that no two were alike. Not anywhere. This made me think how the doors to our minds are very similar. We do not take in information the same as one another. We do not embrace the outside world the same, and we certainly do not shield ourselves from what we don’t want in the same manner.

As I am pondering the differences of the doors in my neighborhood, I am struck by the thought as to how we each receive the truth of God in our lives. Some of us have an open front door, with just a bug screen between to filter out the unwanted pests, but freely allow the goodness of the Holy Spirit to enter in. Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock.” If my front door is open, I can so easily hear Him, even at a whisper.  If I have created a fortress, or a façade of overly ornate coverings, it might be harder to create an open invitation. Do I need the colors just so, and everything so perfect that it makes it difficult to be open to something other than my own design? Do I have the resemblance of an opening, but really don’t expect it to be used much, preferring to enter another way? Are my decorations and designs that I have created more important than those who actually come inside?

Perhaps I am simply making too much of a connection here, but the point is, we do all maintain our own entryways. Some more than others.

So how open are you to receiving the One who stands and knocks?