Annoying Glass Doors

Have you ever walked into a screen door or even a glass door?  I have.  Well, I tend to walk into walls and poles as well, and those are pretty visible, so I'm not sure I'm the best example.  haha.

Anyways, the point of the matter is this - sometimes there is a barrier we cannot see between where we are and where we want to be.  Even though what is waiting on the other side is good and is ours for the taking, we just can't figure out why we can't access them.  Instead, even though it's painful, we continue to walk into the glass door again and again.

Psalm 36:10-11

¹⁰ O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹ Let not the foot of pride come upon me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

There are a few things that God has given to us, as His children.  Lovingkindness is translated from the Hebrew word checed meaning "goodness, kindness, faithfulness" (Strong's H2617).  All of those things belong to us, He freely gives them!  Right along with His righteousness!  As God's church we have access to all of that and more!

Only two things stand in our way:

1. Our own pride
2. The wickedness of others   

Pride is something I definitely struggle with.  I tend to think I can do it all, I don't even need God to help me.  Hubby and I had to laugh when I got sick a couple weeks ago.  We had just moved, I was still commuting an hour to my old job while trying to kick start my new business, we were trying to find a house, and so much more.  I told him that I was pretty sure God was reminding me that I wasn't super woman.  I ended up stuck in bed for 2 whole days and the rest of the week I couldn't do much without overexerting myself.  I literally wasn't able to do much let alone do it all.

Dictionary.com defines 'pride' as "a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc."

You see, when I accomplish something, I give myself the credit because it makes me feel important.  But that isn't what should be happening - God should be getting all the glory!  How often does pride get in the way of God?  He provides the thoughts for the sermon, He provides the choice of music for this Sunday, He provides the courage you need to stand up and speak, etc.  But how often do we give Him the credit? 

Unfortunately, "...pride is Satan's specialty.  It is the characteristic that most aptly describes him.  Pride is the issue that had him expelled from heaven.  It is still one of Satan's most successful tools...The most effective means the enemy has to keep believers from being full of the Spirit is to keep us full of ourselves...It is the enemy of genuine ministry" (Beth Moore, Praying God's Word).  When our own pride gets in the way, we no longer have access to His goodness, faithfulness, righteousness, or lovingkindness.  Our pride becomes the glass door we repeatedly walk into.

For some, pride is a solid oak door keeping them from ever reaching out to God in the first place, they refuse to see what is on the other side: "My heart mourns because some dear friends are too prideful to believe something greater than themselves controls their destiny" (Colin Creel, Perspectives).

 
The other glass door that comes between us and all the wonderful things God has to offer is the wickedness of others.  Okay, hear me out for a second, I am not saying that it is someone else's fault that you are not receiving the goodness of God.  It is still you that creates the glass door.  Wickedness is all around us.  It isn't difficult to find.  The wickedness of others runs rampant in our nation, our state, our hometown, our very streets, even in our church.  That wickedness becomes your problem, becomes my problem, when we choose to cave to temptation.  The moment I decide to participate in gossip, the moment when you start thinking about how much prettier that scantily clad woman is than your wife, the moment I choose to accept the bribe being offered - those are the exact moments when we run face first into the closed glass door.  

That choice to fall to temptation or to pride is what separates us from God.  Running into it again and again isn't going to do a thing.  We could try with all our might to run through it but it remains.  The only thing we can do to get through it is to reopen the door.  And that means we have to put forth effort.  We must repent of our sin, whether it be pride or gossip or adultery, turn away from it and turn back to God.  The door will then be open and we will, again, have access to His goodness, His faithfulness, His lovingkindness and righteousness, and so, so, much more!   

What glass door are you constantly running into?  Put forth the effort and open it today!  Don't wait - His goodness is waiting for you on the other side!