You Make a Better Door than a Window

Have you ever said that to someone? I know I have. But have you noticed that it's usually for something you're only kind of half watching? Like a movie you've seen so many times you could reenact it yourself or something that's on because somebody else wanted to see it but you could really care less? If it's something you're really into, you're going to get that person's attention. For example, next Monday. The Miss America Pageant will be on and if you happen to get in my way I will take you to the floor WWF style. There will be no wasting of time with sarcastic comments.

What about from the other perspective? What if you're "the door?" You're like "Oops. I didn't mean to get in the way." Or did you? The girlfriend who is sick of watching football when everyone's hanging out so she finds herself a seat on the coffee table since..."There's nowhere else to sit." Unbeknownst to her, of course that she is in direct line from her boyfriend to the TV. Or the little kid who is craving that older sibling attention and just happens to plop in front of the video game. He didn't mean for you to lose a turn, but now that it's Game Over...do you wanna play? What about the Super Christian? Who didn't really mean to block God's light from shining, but kind of liked the attention that people gave when they finally realized how much responsibility sat on those two very humble shoulders.

I'm guilty. Of probably all of the above, though I'm not sure quite sure if I would've admitted (or even regonized) it in the moment.

Have you ever felt like something was just off kilter? And I'm not going down the "If something's missing, it's Jesus" route. I mean in a different way. You're going about your life. Sure there are stressors. Sure there are things that could be better. But everything's basically going well. Boyfriend? Check. Good job? Check. Friends? Check. Food, shelter, oxygen? Check, check, check. So what is it that's not quite right? Hmm. Enter stage left...the darkness. Because that's what happens when you shut out the light. And, yes. Now I am talking about Jesus.

A friend complimented me this morning (at least she was attempting to when it turned into more of a wake-up call) by telling me that she didn't know how I was always so happy and excited. My response? "I'm actually not...I'm faking it." Wow, Kristin. Thumbs up for giving that encouragement. And WHERE did that come from?! From the darkness. From blocking out the light of the world and forgetting that I'm supposed to be a window, not something that people have to work open. It's not something that I was intentionally doing. It's not like I sat down one day and said, "You know? I think I'm gonna take things into my own hands for a while and see how I can manage without the Lord." It just sort of shifted that way. And this morning I realized it.

Funny enough, that same old adadge fits here too. "When God closes a door, he opens a window." But He closed a door a long time ago when He took upon the sins of the world. Don't fight it, that includes yours. Then he opened a window in all of our hearts so that He could shine through and we could show the world His love and perfect character. I am supposed to reflect Him and be truly effected by that. And I used to be. I just somehow shut it out. Luckliy for me, I can do nothing to make it go away. I just got in the way.

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

Because really, I make a worse door and a better window.