Doors?!?

Doors?

Hey What's up world, it is 2008 and I'm so excited about this year for myself, it will be very promising. I pray that you all have already started on your resolutions as I have done. I recently had a conversation with my good friends John C. Richards by way of California (Originally a Georgia Boi) and we just started vibing about how doors close and open. Of course I had to ask him if he'd contribute something to the site and as always, he produced. Enjoy this as much as I did... Til next week, love, peace and blue magic hair grease!

::Dre: aka AK
“And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."-Genesis 4:7

::John C. Richards, Jr: Doors. They open. They close. They revolve. They slide. They lock. They latch. In fact, you've probably walked through several doors today as you went about your daily business. I thought about this very simple invention the other day while at work. I work as a contract attorney in the Los Angeles area. Now I don't say that to boast, since I know that it's only by God's grace that I have such wonderful opportunities. I am just amazed by one thing that is uniform at each of these firms. Doors. I've never seen so many doors in my life. It's pretty easy to get lost around these places. The thing that made me really think is the fact that I had to have an access card to get in any and all of the doors. Even the men's bathroom door required an access card yall!!!!! Doors are important though, they serve a very practical function in our every day lives. I want you all to realize the spiritual function of doors in your life today.

Ever heard the cliché about opportunity knocking at your door. The door idea is used in this way to explain opportunities opening and closing in our lives. I recently had a door close in my life. Not only did the door close, but it felt like it slammed. I was bitter. You ever had a door (employment or relationship) close in your face? If you are honest with yourself, it can make you bitter and upset. God showed me a purpose in this experience that I want to share with you all. Let's talk about doors.

1. Doors control your atmosphere.

Physically, doors are used to to control the physical atmosphere within a space by enclosing it, excluding air drafts, so that the interior can be more effectively heated or cooled. My momma used to get at me all the time. We had an air conditioning unit in our house. At times, I would walk out of the door to go outside and would leave it wide open. Don't trip, you know yall used to get in trouble for the same thing!!!! She would say, "Boy, I aint trying to cool the whole neighborhood!!! Close that door!!!" You see, she was concerned about how taxing an air conditioning bill would be were she to try to cool those outside of her environment. Wow.

We never like to look at ourselves, as if self examination is a foreign concept. Sure we like to talk about other folks "problems," but never "sweep around our own front door." Rather than have our own interiors more effectively heated or cooled, we attempt to regulate the environment of others. Socrates wrote, "an unexamined life is not worth living." Paul stated that we should "examine ourselves" to see whether we are "in the faith."-2 Corinthians 13:5. Many are tempted in light of the recent news regarding some in the Christian community to examine those peoples' lives, but God is say right now, "Close that door!!!! Stop trying to regulate other folk's environment." We all need to take a step back and examine our own lives and stop trying to cool/heat our spiritual neighborhoods. The cost is too high. Which leads to the question: What does your bill look like?

Although doors are meant to control the external environment, they cannot control air drafts. Spiritually, air drafts constitute the Spirit of God. Often times in the Bible the Holy Spirit is referred to as the wind of God, a mighty rushing wind. Even though God wants you to control your internal environment, He never wants you to become desensitized to His Spirit's "air drafts. Have you felt a spiritual draft lately? Instead of trying to make things air tight, allow the draft to work on you and reveal some things to you.

2. The purpose of door closure is to give occupants of a space privacy and security by regulating access.

Imagine life without doors, especially in today's society. Shoot, you might come home one day and all yo' stuff be gone. House just be stripped of everything. Doors regulate access. That's how things were at the firm I worked at. Only those with keys to the doors were allowed access to a space. I want to say this to everybody (including myself):

BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GIVE YOUR KEY TO!!!!

My God!!!!! How many folks have your key on their key rings? Who have you given an all-access key to you? Look at your present condition in relationships. How many people can say they have your key? I want to talk to my single folks. Please, please, please, carry yourself in such a way that there aint no duplicate keys out there. Often times when businesses have something to guard they make one key that states: "Do Not Duplicate." I want you to get the "do not duplicate" spirit. This will let that man or woman know that your key is valuable and cannot be taken for granted. It will help to guard your heart and save heartache in the long run. The Bible declares that "sin lies at the door."-Genesis 4:7. The only reason that sin lies at the door is because it does not have access unless you give it access!!!!

I've learned to look at door closure as a good thing. That means that another door is getting ready to open. As I type this, I am in the process of being interviewed for a six month project with another law firm in Los Angeles. God is so good. You see, in my own experience it was not until the previous door closed that I was able to walk through a new one being opened. Have doors closed in your life? Don't worry my brother and sister, that other set is getting ready to open.

I aint done with doors, but I want you to think on some things:

1. Are you operating in a controlled atmosphere?

2. How much self-examination do your really take part in?

3. How do you react to spiritual air drafts?

4. How many keys have you given to others?

5. How has door closure benefited you?