How to Live With Wide Open Doors
I was blessed to have a grandmother who loved Jesus and lived out that love in her day-to-day life. Every time I visited her, she was either preparing a meal to take to someone in need or was ‘putting one away’ for when she'd hear of an illness or death in a friend's family.
I loved being Grandma's little helper in the kitchen as she prepared these meals. I learned many lessons, some about cooking, but most were about life. As we cooked together, she would talk about the needs of the person for whom we were cooking, and how in filling those needs she always received more than she gave.
Sometimes I had the privilege of riding along with her to deliver her homemade "stoup" (soup that was so thick it almost qualified as stew). It was in the doorways as we delivered these dishes that I witnessed what it really looked like to live a life with wide open doors—a life of hospitality.
It wasn't so much the food we delivered or the kind words my grandmother offered; it was the way she saw the person beyond the need. Through the eyes of my grandmother I began to see others the way God saw them, as people worthy of love and compassion.
Closed Doors
Some of us find living this way more difficult than others. We are of a more cautious personality, or we’ve been wounded. It is hard to open ourselves up again if we’ve had the door slammed in our face. I’ve been there. I was falsely accused of something horrible by the people who are supposed to love us unconditionally–someone in the church. It took years for me to learn how to trust again, but what I learned is that my trust had really been misplaced.
People are not trustworthy, only God is. But at the same time, walling our hearts off from the joy of reaching out, serving others, and giving of ourselves only hurts ourselves. It has no effect on the person who wounded us. As my Grandmother often said, “Wounded people, wound people.” As hard as it is to open your heart’s door, to see the person beyond the need, to see the person as God sees them, that is what we are called to do. When we trust again, we are trusting God to guard our hearts as we obediently step out in faith.
The Message Bible says it best:
“No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room” (Luke 11:33-36).
Open-Wide
So, what does this look like? Here are a few ideas…
Enjoy a Smile Day and see how many people you pass that will return your flashy smile.
When you make dinner, freeze a serving so it is ready when you hear someone is sick, or god puts that lonely person on your mind.
Contact and old friend or an elderly relative who doesn’t live close and tell them you want to share a cup of coffee with them–long distance. Set the time and make the call–you will be blessed, and you’ll be a blessing.
Clean out a closet and donate. And don’t just give away the things you don’t want. When you give from your abundance, God will shower you with more than you can imagine. Give with joy and watch the joy return.
Let me know your ideas. And if this is a struggle for you, leave your name and I will pray as you crack open the door and trust God again.