A recent Saturday afforded me the opportunity to help at church by working on a couple of doors that were sticking and not opening or closing properly. The remedy involved rasping, filing, and sanding the edge of the doors so they would no longer strike the doorframe but instead would conform to the opening, easily allowing the door to latch. As I had only a hand tool, they took a bit of time and energy to fix. But the result of smoothly opening and closing doors was so satisfying I gave the same treatment to a sticking door of my own when I got home!
As a homeowner, I’ve sometimes had to fix squeaky doors by lubricating the hinges. At other times, I discovered the doorknob mechanism needed attention. After one extremely rainy month, our front door absorbed moisture and the bolt lock no longer engaged properly with the door frame, requiring adjustments. If a door goes years without use, it can become extremely resistant to opening and difficult to break free.
We go through doors all the time, even talking about them figuratively. We refer to an available opportunity as an open door, or we describe leaving something in our past as closing a door.
Jesus called Himself the Door in John 10:9, saying, “If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” He also said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). It is only through the figurative door of Jesus that we are saved, forgiven, and made part of the family of God. It is through Jesus that we enter God’s kingdom and can have boldness to come before His throne in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
We could think of consciously entering through Jesus, the Door, as deliberate awareness that we are in Christ. In fact, we’d do well to enter every circumstance through that door of awareness, superimposing the Door of Jesus over any other door in our lives—recognizing we are not alone, because Jesus promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). And we learn in His Word that the one who is joined to Christ is one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17).
We’re not only in Christ, but He is in us! This knowledge gave the apostle Paul unshakeable confidence. He knew he could deal with any situation through the One who strengthened him (Philippians 4:16). It is through the Door of Jesus we’re conscious of our new identity and our righteousness—that we’ve been made holy, blameless and beyond reproach (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Colossians 1:22). When we enter that door, we can leave fear, insecurity, and our sense of inadequacy behind. We exit the darkness, walking into His marvelous light! (1 Peter 2:9).
This door is always open and never locked. It swings wide in welcome, without sticking or resistance! Enter every conversation, every day, every event in life through that door and you will find greater comfort, confidence, and peace.
