Perhaps you’ve heard the expression, “When God closes one door, He’ll open another. But it’s hell in the hallway.”
Everyone, at some point, will encounter a “hallway experience.” What do you do when God has closed one door in your life, but another still hasn’t opened? How do you find hope in the hallway?
How do you find heaven, instead of hell, in the hallway?
We have become accustomed to giga-speed results in our lives, and if one door closed yesterday, then another had better open today. How long does it take for God to open another door? Apparently, God has not consulted my calendar. Why is God not as concerned about my situation as I am? If God can do anything, why doesn’t He just open another door, for the one that has closed?
We often find ourselves trapped, as it were, between two doors, between two seasons, between two worlds. Looking for every door that we can find and trying every key we have, to no avail. Suddenly, we find ourselves thrust into the hallway, and every door we try seems to be locked.
The hallway can be very lonely. The hallway can be very painful. I’m trapped in the hallway, and God seems so quiet, so distant, so unconcerned.
Every case is different, and I, by no means, would lead you to believe that I have it all figured out, but I do think that oftentimes there are lessons that God would love to teach us, and those are only learned in the hallway.
A few of the lessons I’ve learned in the hallway include:
- God is God, and I’m not.
- God’s ways are not my ways.
- God’s timing is not my timing.
- God’s methods are not my methods.
Coming to grips with God’s ways, His timing, and His methods, was an intentional choice that I had to make. Easy? No, quite the contrary. It was difficult. Extremely difficult. It did not come naturally. And yet, standing in the hallway with all doors closed and none of my keys working, pushed me to understand that it’s not really me who holds the key for the doors, but rather God.
The hallway is where we learn to trust God. The hallway is where we learn that it’s not all about us. The hallway is where we discover our weaknesses and God’s strengths.
Too often when I’m caught in the hallway, and when every door seems closed, I will try every key I have, before allowing God’s intervention. I have learned in the hallway, that the sooner I stop trying my keys, and ask God to take control, the easier the hallway experience becomes.
God is not hiding behind the doors, but He’s waiting for us to invite Him into the hallway. He wants to be a part of our lives. He thrives on being involved in every part of our lives. But, we must choose to invite Him.
Do I believe that when God closes one door, He opens another? Absolutely, but I am convinced that what happens in the hallway can make us, or break us when the next door opens. I’m convinced the hallway lessons are lessons that cannot be learned inside the doors. I will readily admit that it can be “hell” in the hallway, but I’ve found hope in the hallway, a touch of heaven in the hallway, as I invite God into the process.
Allow God to open the next door for you.
If you are caught in the hallway between doors, there is hope for you.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
God has a plan. Find your hope in the hallway.
Still Believing!
