“…to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9
It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new life for me. And I’m feeling good. – Nina Simone
Suspense movies fascinated me as a kid. Hitchcock films taught me that closed doors provide one of the most terrifying moments of fear on the big screen. Anything could be behind it. The music builds and the door fills the screen as the camera inches ever closer. The rattle of the doorknob brings me to the seat’s edge…my heartbeat quickens. The door suddenly springing open always results in a good scare and frantic jump. It didn’t matter if opening the door revealed a fluffy kitten or a psychotic killer, the anticipation could drive me to the edge of a panic attack. It was thrilling. Like a great roller coaster, I would seek it out again and again.
Doors protect us from the unknown. They can also keep us from stepping into new opportunities and new life. The imagery of a door is used in Scripture repeatedly. In Luke 11, Jesus tells a parable of a desperate man. He needs a few loaves of bread, but the door to get the bread is locked. Even so, in his “shameless boldness,” he pounds on the door until it is opened and he receives what he needs.
New Year’s Day is a door. Behind it we may find adventure or tragedy, beauty or pain. Like Hitchcock’s doors, the thought of what could be behind it can cause anxiety spikes. Despite the uncertainty, we have no choice but to step through. What we can choose is our posture as we walk through. Are we anxious, gingerly stepping into the unknown full of trepidation with our heads hung low? Or are we eager to let go of what’s behind us as we boldly march into whatever may come next?
Jesus refers to Himself both as the bread and as the door. Bread provides nourishment and life. The door provides entry into new life. As we open the door to enter into a new year, we find that we long for both. Deep down we have a hunger that nothing in this world seems to satisfy. We have a longing for truth and purpose that cannot be filled by our resolutions and hard work. We need more. We need Him.
As you enter this new dawn and this new day, reflect on the words of Jesus. Like the man in the parable, we cannot fill ourselves. We will never find satisfaction or peace by scribbling on the pages of our own lives. Approach Jesus…knock on that door with shameless boldness. Give control of your life over to Him, allowing Him to write the pages of your story. Instead of clinging to our own desperate efforts to control our destiny, cling to the truth I found scrawled on a wall in Itabi, Brazil: “Deus é Fiel.” God is Faithful. As we let that sink in, we can walk into the new day feeling good.
This post is the first of twelve in a series. For three years I have been selling calendars full of my photography to support our mission trips to Brazil. This year I’ve put together a truly special calendar with photos from my 8 trips to Brazil. On the first of each month a post will go live that complements what is found on the calendar for that month. If you don’t yet have a calendar and would like one, please let me know. They are $20 (plus shipping if necessary) and all proceeds go toward the Brazil mission trip to Pontos do Volantes in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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