A Door

Recently I pondered the word door. It could have been prompted by a recent incident—I had locked myself out of our house. Someone in the household forgot to return the emergency key to its lockbox. But I digress. For now, I will consider —a door. A door may be open. A door may be closed. Sometimes it depends on your perspective.

In the loft of my tool shed, I have a door stored . It is a sturdy, attractive door. My daughter found it in an online site—free. We had planned to use it in renovating our basement. It didn’t work out. It could be a useful door; not for us, not at this time. As doors go, it is neither an open door, nor a closed door. It is a stored door.

A door can be a metaphor. When you wake up in the morning, your bedroom door may be closed but a door of opportunity stands ready; it awaits your choice to open and walk (or leap) through and enjoy its largess.. How—or whether—you enter that door depends largely on you—and your attitude. When some people wake up they joyfully proclaim, “Good morning, Lord!” Some wake up muttering, “Good Lord! It’s morning.” The one thing over which you have total control is your attitude.

From time to time I reflect on metaphorical doors I have faced in my life. While some of those doors didn’t seem to fling wide into opportunities, by world standards yet they were pregnant with possibilities; some of which I seized or was seized by—fun, friends, fortune, or other visions. When I reflect on doors in my life, I find that doors that closed before I could enter, often became as important as those that opened. Too often I am glib about finding an open door—thinking I am the one who opened that door, or successfully made it through; not acknowledging the contribution of others who made it possible.

In the Book of Exodus, Israelites were instructed to go, at a specific time, to their door. Over the doorpost, they were to place a specified symbol to signal that within that door were protected people. After generations of slavery, the promise of liberation would lie at their door. This door was to be a door of protection. This door was a metaphor of community, of safety and freedom.

In the theologically developmental stages of the Children of Israel, the Deuteronomic Code required that a passage from The Torah be encased at the doorway of each family home. It was to remind and encourage the household that God is God, and the only God to serve. This sine qua non was nether a hint nor a request; it was a command, and each member of the household must read it upon each pass through the door.

This Scripture-in-a-case on the door is a pretty good idea for us all. It matters not if it is elaborately crafted, or eye-catching. What matters is that you become immersed in the spirit of it. It can be a good thing if practiced, not as a shackle, but a reminder to say “Good Morning Lord! Let’s get our day going!”

© Copyright Willis H. Moore July 8, 2023