Our Father Wants to Open the Door

One of my daughter’s favorite things is to be outside. When she would cry as a newborn, all we had to do was open the door, and she would immediately be at peace.

A few years ago, I built a swing set for her in our backyard. She loved to be pushed in her swing and would giggle the whole time. It’s not only one of her favorite things to do, it’s one of mine as well.  I might giggle as much if not more than she does!

When she got a bit older, she could walk over to the sliding glass door and see her swing set at anytime. She would often stand up and point, wanting me to let her outside.  Sometimes, she would want to get to the swing set so badly, she would try to open the door by herself.  She would push on it, tried to slide it, and yell it; trying so hard to get outside.

I’ve noticed one thing in all of this: the harder she tries to open the door, the more dangerous it is for me to actually open it for her.  If I opened that door while she pushes like that, she would fall out onto the porch right on her face.

The longer I don’t open it for her, the more frustrated she becomes. So she pushes harder. She yells more. She cries. She thinks I don’t want her to go outside and do what she loves. She forgets that I love it as much, if not more, than she does.

So I wait. I wait for her to stop trying so hard to get the door open. I wait for her to let me open the door for her.  We often do the same with God.  But one of these, His children, as well as mine, will realize that He loves what we love. Instead of trying so hard on our own, we’ll simply look into His eyes, call His name, and watch Him open those doors!