“Often it may be that when the door marked ‘Go’ looks closed, it’s because there’s a door marked ‘Grow’ that’s wide open.”- John Ortberg
In today’s blog, John Ortberg discusses the third reason why some doors remain closed to us.
3. Doors close because I need to grow. Pastor Ortberg tells of a time he was praying for an opportunity in leadership, but his mind kept wandering away to a man he was angry with. John realized that as long as he was holding on to his anger, he was not free to pray with open hands before God. Anger was John’s elephant in the prayer closet. He emphasizes:
“There is a big difference between nursing a grudge and surrendering it.”
Although the apostle Paul asked God to remove his thorn in the flesh, he eventually came to understand that grace would come along with the thorn, not in removing it. John summarizes: “The door to thorn removal was closed so that the door to grace-strengthening could be opened.”
We simply have to relinquish door sovereignty to God as well as consider areas in our lives where we need to grow.
Tomorrow John concludes his study of reasons why some doors remain closed to us.
Today’s question: As you revitalize and revision your calling, have you encountered a door marked ‘Grow’? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Just a whole lot of small”
