I am not sure why, but I have taken photos of doors on almost all my worldly travels. Not alot of them, but ones that catch my eye and make me wonder.....
What is it about a simple door that creates such a compelling interest for discovery and adventure?
If I walk by a wall I am not nearly as interested in learning what is on the other side compared to the delicious feeling of excitement when faced with a door. It creates an impression and often an emotion. One may judge an entire house or structure simply from its doors.
It is as if the door must be opened.....that I must see what is there. But then I think, what if I do see, will I be disappointed? Will it be less than what I expect? Will the mystery that my mind has conjured up wither away?
I find myself hesitating.... Maybe it is best to be patient, to pull back my hand as it reaches out to open the despite the strength of its beckoning. Ah! so hard to resist.....
Doors are so suggestive to me. Especially old weathered ones. They seem very wise like an old man would be. Patient, watching, full of life's lessons to share, but waiting for the right moment to do so.
What is most profound to me of all, aside from the romantic allure of yesteryear's ancient tales, is that they represent transition..... Passage, from one place to another..... The stories thus could tell of personal treks and travels. In many mythologies, doors often symbolize the passage from one world to another. Aren't our lives actually a sequence of a multitude of doors?
At first glance, the most obvious tales would be of physical journeys of moving from location to another. Could they also be a metaphor for spiritual ones as well? ... Just like physical locations can be different from one side to another, could we become different spiritually because of specific doors we have passed through? I am believer.... I think I have become something different not only because of the amazing physical places doors have enabled me to visit, but also spiritually. These doors have changed my vision, my mind, how I see the world, others....myself and ultimately God.
There have been times in my life when I found that extra gear, to be extremely conscious about coming home everyday from work, trying so hard to make that mental shift, to leave behind the grist and grime of the world's troubles and work's worries before I ever stepped into the most important door of my life.... the one to my house where the most important things in the world are found.... my family. That door.... represents that first important step, that first thought, that first word, that first gesture, that first expression that has the potential to totally change the trajectory of the mood, tone and spirit of my home. Finding the willingness to empty my mind of everything and making a 180 degree turn, calling upon Heaven for a little help, and then seeing how that simple, subtle change inside can change everything for everyone inside!! This has been too fleeting in my life.... I hope I can find this again.....I need help.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Yes, I love doors! They will continue to mystify me and fill me with visions of adventure and fantasy.....That I hope never changes. Some have been opened by others, some by chance, often by choice. Some have been rocky, some have been smooth. Sometimes I have learned the lessons, sometimes I haven't. Through all of them I have encountered the best of people that could possibly exist. They have all left indelible fingerprints on me forever. I am grateful for all of them.
Regardless, at the end of the day...... I love the spiritual doors the best. I haven't always understood some of these journeys and therefore haven't always valued them as much as I should have. While many doors seem so shiny, exciting and alluring, almost impossible to ignore, these spiritual ones look different. At first glance, they often look dull, plain and bland at first glance. But, upon further review and with different eyes once passed through, they are the golden ones that make our hearts hurt good, hard tears to flow and our souls fill, quenched with living water.... They fill us to the brim in unexplainable permanent ways.
He leaves us all with this simple invitation:
"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture."
I can't speak for you, but I could use a little pasture in my life.....maybe you are looking for that too?
