I recently had an open door placed before me and I thought that I would rather not walk through it. At times God will open a door and I can gladly say “Thank you Lord,” but just recently I was looking at an open door and was not so eager.
Not every open door from the Lord looks like an immediate blessing. Some look like heavy obligations or burdens. The Lord may be calling, but I find that I can be reluctant. The main reason that I would hesitate is because I have, at that moment, failed to fully trust the Lord. I think I can see what is on the other side of the door, and it doesn’t look much like a blessing. It looks like more work than I can possibly handle, or something I don’t feel equipped for. But I have a decision to make.
With our youth pastor leaving, there appeared before me a large open door. I love our young people and they are a credit to our church and to the Lord. But this new open door looked like burdensome work to me, and I was not sure that I was ready for it. I had experience in Youth for Christ in my early ministry, but a whole lot of years separated that experience from today. After praying about it, I accepted. So one of my roles now is, I am the 71-year-old youth pastor!
I was hesitant, but I entered in hopes of seeing what the Lord had in mind. What an amazing discovery! As my wife, Donna, and I began to meet with these young adults we were blessed beyond description. They are learning to follow God’s guidance and turn to him with the challenges they face. Our prayer times are genuine and uninhibited.
They have begun to participate even more fully in our Sunday services. They make up a part of our worship team, technical team, children’s ministry, and even fulfill occasional Sunday preaching roles. This ministry has brought joy to my heart. It can be one of the greatest blessings of all to see how God can surprise us with joy as we enter that unexpected door.
