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People are fond of saying, "When one door closes, God opens another." or "When God closes a door, God opens a window."
Many years back a friend of mine added to this phrase, "Yes, but the hallway in-between can be hell."
I love that addition. It speaks truth....
I also wonder, Is God the one opening and closing doors? And if so, how does "free will" play into it? Perhaps free will means we can choose to go through the door?
But what about when one is pushed through the door? Or Pushed into a closed door? Is that the consequence of the free-will of others? And then what about God, who opened or closed that door in the first place?
I don't really think that God intervenes in human life and history in ways that are so concrete and specific as opening and closing doors and determining who goes through and how.
Maybe it's more like this, When we are striving to follow God's desire and listening carefully, God leads us to the door. We, human beings, decide whether to open or close it. Whatever we decide, God goes with, hoping and trying to lead us to the next one?
But then there are those times, when completely unaware, we walk across the threshold into exactly where we are supposed to be. What then?
Maybe it's more like, In life, because of free-will, doors will open and doors will close. It's complicated and not always the result of anything that God may want or desire, but rather the result of human beings making decisions for better or for worse. But regardless of open doors or closed doors, of a willingness to go through, or the blunt force of being pushed through (or into) a door, God walks with us, all the time whispering, "I am here, and somehow, this will be alright. All will be well. I am here."
