Closed doors are painful. We may want to burst it open and journey towards something better. We may want to be let into a place we feel locked out of. We may even feel we’re at heaven’s door and God isn’t answering.
These times can be harrowing and, if we are not careful, can lead to spiritual exhaustion and paralysis. One way we can remain connected to God, notice tender mercies, and stay hopeful is to metaphorically keep a window open if a door is shut.
An open window is often used as a symbol of letting light and fresh air into a dark and suffocating situation. When we keep a window open for God, we strive daily to recognize how God has blessed us. These bits of light and mercy may go unnoticed when we give room for our pain and despair to overtake our senses.
Just as we would enjoy sitting next to this open window on a beautiful day, we also need time to be still. Have you ever felt exhausted, pounding on the closed door in your life? While it may indeed be useful to engage in a dialogue with God, seeking to understand his will, it is often more useful to surrender ourselves and wait patiently with God by our side. This isn’t easy. It doesn’t remove all of the pain. However, we can more closely detect the presence and love of God when we trust him, allowing ourselves to be held.
Much of the pain of a closed door comes because we want something and this desire of our heart seems to be unfulfilled. An open window in our heart can help us wait and look forward with hope. If we beat our heads against the closed door, we won’t have our eyes focused down the road, where something wonderful may be traveling towards us. God wants us to be happy; he also wants us to come home to him. As we struggle towards that goal we can embrace the principle of compensation and look forward with an eternal perspective.
How do you keep a window open for God?
Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
