Just a brief thought I wanted to write down and think about.
We have all heard the cliche, if one door shuts, dont worry, another will open.
I dont think thats true.
Maybe God wants us to smash down the closed door. Maybe the door is put there by someone who does not have our or God's best interests at heart.
Maybe we give up too quickly and too easily, citing God's will, when in fact its us being lazy or wanting things to be easy.
"Let go and Let God" , what a crock. Life is hard and tough sometimes. We dont get what we want, or even what we think God wants for our lives. Sometimes we get the exact opposite of what we think God would want for us, and it does not seem fair.
I dont see Jesus stopping when the going got tough. I see him going and being flogged to death for what He believed in. No easy road for that Warrior. If that was one door shutting, Jesus allowed it to slam shut in His face.
There was no easy door opened for Him to go through, and I wonder if there are many easy doors opened for us.
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6 comments:
2:01 pm
You raise an excellent point.
But there is lots in the Gospels that is very passive (as opposed to go out and kill them don't spare the women and children of the Old Testament - something Israel is still excellent at).
The Gospel is full of turn the other cheek, sit at the bottom of the table and wait to be called to the top or important end type stuff.
Even in spreading the Gospel there are instructions to leave the stony ground and wipe the dust off your sandals as you go.
Also there is much evidence that where God wants the spectacular it is He who knocks down the doors (and people in the way) to get the result He wants.
2:33 pm
Yes you are right, and so am I.
There in is my quandry.
I feel my hackles rise when someone gives up because it is too hard, and I also understand it is sometimes stupid to keep at it with people who wont change.
I dont think either approach can be said to be the right one all the time, sometimes it comes down to personality, the one God has given you.
8:54 pm
THis is a tough one, Mark. This week has been a challenging one for me professionally, and in many ways it has been personally shite for me too.
Professionally, I see a door that had closed on me many months ago that I have refused to ignore, that I kept hammering at, kept being in people's faces about (corporate blogging). Yesterday I find out that the company I have been pitching at for over a year has decided to set up blogs, but completely outside of any intervention or advice from me. As if I didn't exist. Whilst I welcome their (eventual) sagacity, I can't help but want to shake their dust off my sandals. But I didn't stop hammering at their door, which is how I found out (from a confidant) that they have decided to follow the path I suggested.
When to give up and move on, when to persist -- I agree that sometimes we relinquish responsibility to God, but equally sometimes I wish He would give clearer guidance over what He wants us to do... (because sometimes it's hard to distinguish His or the Holy Spirit's voice over our own desires).
Lee
8:26 am
Yes I hear that too Lee,
sometimes I get frustrated by God's lack of guidance too.
I know He cares about me, wants the best for me and all that.
But it does not always seem that way.
Part of being a Christian this side of eternity.
I hear what your saying about the company. Sometimes I feel like I have been challenging someone on something, and it seems they ignore it. Then 6 months later they embrace it as their own idea.
But then I look at Jesus' ministry and see He suffered from the same malady.
4:38 pm
But then God does something amazing! Witness: I'm studying at Tabor here in Adelaide and reading for an MA in Christian Studies (I only came to faith about 2.5 years ago and it was 2 years ago today that God called me to study him). Read this post: http://leehopkins.net/2006/07/20/good-news-in-a-bad-week/
p.s. I have added you into the sidebar of my church's new-look website - http://www.stirlingfamilychurch.org -- I'm their webmaster). They haven't started blogging yet, but once the senior pastor returns from holiday they will (trust me!!) :-)
5:06 pm
Thats awesome Lee!
I lived in Adelaide for a bit.
exciting place :)
Anytime your in Perth, let me buy you a coffee.
Your church website is great,
especially this page
http://stirlingfamilychurch.org/about/
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