An Open Door

I hopped into my car, having dropped the boys off at school. Starting the engine, my car began beeping and flashing warning lights at me. My car’s quite a clever wee thing though, and on my dashboard came a message as to the reason why little alarms were going off. I had an open door, more specifically, according to the car, the left hand rear door. Once I had sorted it out, alarms and warning messages stopped and off I drove.

Wouldn’t it be nice if in our lives a little warning light would go off about an open door in our hearts that needs to be closed. A door to fear, to bitterness, to discouragement. Then we could leap into action and address – close the door before it got worse. Had I not stopped and shut the car door it may have caused me more trouble later on by swinging open while I was driving causing an accident, same with life – some things just get worse.

We’re better off if we pay attention to the little things in life and relationships and not let them get incrementally worse. When discontentment, resentments, or offences begun to creep into our hearts they begin a barrier between us and others. Stone upon stone, layer upon layer, a wall materialises. But if we address each hurt, each stone and remove it, walls that shut out people wouldn’t be built.

When the doors of our hearts open to fear, to discouragement, to negativity, they can paralyse us and rob us of enjoying our lives. Little things can quickly mount up and become bigger issues if we neglect them in the first place. But we can slam the close the door on these too. We can recognise the triggers and avoid or dismantle them.

“Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom.” (Song of Solomon 2:15)

Good thing that we have the Holy Spirit ever present with us. The Holy Spirit is there as our helper to shut these doors in our lives. His nudges are less obtrusive than the alarms and flashing lights in my car, but they’re still there. The losing of peace as we follow through on a course of action or a train of thought, the feeling of conviction (ps – not condemnation) over a programme watched, the disquiet in a conversation, even the left field thought for action.

They say it’s the final straw that breaks the camel’s back. A piece of straw is not significant nor weighty by itself, but along with several thousand other pieces, it can make all the difference. Each little offence adds up, each exposure to fear feeds the monster. So it’s good to curate our heart and close doors that need to be closed, forgive where needed, change the negative track that’s playing in our mind and then let the love of God and the grace of Jesus surround us.

Good reason to have the Holy Spirit help us navigate through life I reckon.