Monday, June 27, 2005
Closed Doors  

Our daughter has been able to crawl for a couple of months. If you want to know what fast is, watch a determined child crawl for the object of her desire. I really had no idea that a baby could move that fast.

My wife and I have had to baby-proof a number of items around the house. We also will close doors and put up a gate at the bottom of one of the stairs to prevent our daughter from hurting herself.

Sometimes we will find ourselves closing the door even as our daughter is quickly crawling toward the room. Or maybe after carrying her, we will have put her on the floor in the hallway and she will kneel in the curious way she does with one leg out to the side. With her sweet smile, she begins to consider her options including the door which is slightly cracked open. Quickly we will close the door, and then she will cry out with the frustrated cry that signals she knows that she is being denied access. Her options have been limited by one because the door to that room has been closed. If she is really upset, we will have to distract her with a toy or some other object which takes her mind off of her frustration.

Although the analogy seems simple, I think it is very profound. Is not this the way that our Heavenly Father acts? He closes doors that we considered to be viable options, and we often get upset. Sometimes we get so upset that He has to "distract" us with something else. Like our daughter, we have such a limited perspective. If we left the door open or did not put up the gate at the bottom of the stairs, she might easily injure herself. God sees the danger that awaits us, and He closes the door or puts up a gate. It is simple trust in Him that enables us to accept His will and not put up a fuss.
Amen, I say to you: Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a child shall not enter into it. (Lk:18:17)
All the credit for this insight goes to my very wonderful and wise wife who made this observation to me last night.

Posted by David at 1:45 AM  |  Comments (0)  | 

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