"Uh, a doorbell?"
"Yah! That's what they call it," she confirmed.
I giggled as I knew what she was thinking and talking about, but I let her try to figure it out. I was thinking about this conversation I had with her as we pulled out of the church parking lot tonight on our way home. Some reason it struck me as odd ~ out of the blue. Why would she be thinking about a doorbell?
Anyway... I'm preparing for bed and I keep hearing a song play in my head. "Ask and seek and knock real loud, that's what faith is all about. Situations turning 'round and I know you'll start believing, asking and receiving." I think it's from an old Accappella CD.
(Mom, remember our chat? We talked about this ~ believe ...I told you I hadn't quite figured it out at the time, but I knew there was something there.)
The doorbell. No, we don't have a doorbell, but then again our house is just a small, two bedroom, cozy house. As you walk through the house, with hard wood floors everyone in the house knows someone is moving about. When you come to visit, you just have to knock. Sometimes you have to knock real loud.
God tells us to believe. Matthew 7:7, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
I have recently been reunited with a friend from high school via the Internet. I can call her friend now, but about twenty years ago, I'm pretty sure I would not have consider her a friend. We both feel that way. But today, I'm so blessed to hear her story how she found Jesus five years ago. Hearing the pain she went through while we were in high school broke my heart. She was in a dark place back then. She was very rough around the edge. Now, understanding what she went through, she had every reason to be the way she was. Sometimes I take things for granted, her childhood was very different than mine. Her mother was not active in her life as mine was.
I think back in high school. We resonated on separate sides of the hall. She was part of the "rough crowd." I was part of the "too good for you" crowd. We were different.
I asked for her forgiveness. She was dumbfounded. I asked her to forgive me for giving up on her. I should have at least prayed. I should have tried to witness. Instead, I shamefully turned my back on her and others. No, I'm not proud of it, but that's what I did then. I'm not sure even at the time if I would have been strong enough to stand up to her anyway.
She was so sweet. She reassured me that there was nothing I could have done to change who she was back then... that it took all that to get where she is today. She believes in the merciful, powerful, amazingly loving God I do!
Everyones walk is different. Every "knock" is different. How we get to God is all different. God hears all of us, but just as seeds planted near the pathway, they are watered by cracked pots and eventually grow into beautiful flowers. When we do knock, sometimes softly... sometimes we knock real loud, He is faithful to open His arms and invite us in.
As the song plays in my head, "ask and seek and knock real loud..." I'm so glad we have the opportunity to knock on God's door. I'm so glad that he embraces us no matter the circumstance. I'm so glad He is ever faithful and answered my friends knock.
Oooh, I have an idea....maybe we can ask for mansions near each other. Mansions? Oh yah! My God has gone to prepare a place for us! Hey... come on over... be sure and knock real loud! ...I don't have a doorbell.
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