Patti Burris

Romans 8:28

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I have had doors seemingly open to ministry positions, just to have them slammed in my face further down the road. My daughter, Kiowa, is in a similar position. She has been taken down a path in her military career, just to have that door close unexpectedly.

Why does God open doors, only to close them further down the road? I am certainly not a person who claims to know why God does what He does, but from personal experience, I have some ideas why He might take us just so far and then shut the door:

1. To Mold Our Character– Sometimes we need the experience to strengthen the Godly characteristics in our spirits. Experiences like this build can build our faith, patience, obedience, and dependence on God, if we allow them to. It is up to us how we chose to react to these situations.
2. To See For Ourselves– I know that I can be stubborn sometimes and think that I know best. In these situations, I believe that God has led me just so far, so that I could see for myself that this was the wrong road for me. He wants us to trust Him, but sometimes we need to see for ourselves that this is not the best thing for us. How much easier it would be if we didn’t whine and trusted God to guide us down the right path. I hope to learn that lesson at some point!
3. To Increase Our Discernment Skills– According to http://www.freedictionary.com discernment means the act or process of exhibiting keen insight and good judgment. Are we on a path that is potentially bad for us? Can we make the decision on our own that this is not the road that we should be on? Sometimes things look good from the outside, but once you take a deeper look inside the workings of a ministry or business, you find out that things are not as they should be.

If God has shut the door on your dream, don’t give up! There is ALWAYS a reason behind what God does and trust, my friend, that it is ALWAYS for our good. Here are 3 things that you can do while you wait for the next door to open:

1. Pray– Keep praying for open doors and God’s will. It is all about what God wants and not about what we want.
2. Strengthen Godly Characteristics– Use this time to work on those characteristics that you may struggle with: patience, obedience, discernment, self-control, surrendering your life to God, etc. What characteristics do you need to work on?
3. Prepare– Prepare yourself for the next open door, by reading the Bible, praying, seeking God’s will and purpose for your life, serving others, etc. There are things we can be doing while we wait to prepare ourselves to be those vessels that God can use. What do you need to do to prepare?

Keep your heart open to opportunities that you would otherwise pass up. God may be opening the door to a whole new dream for you. We may think we know what’s best for us, we don’t. I have gone down roads that would have hurt me in the long run, had God not shut the door to protect me from myself. He wants the best for you and IS working out the purpose for YOUR life. Hang on! Open doors are right around the corner!