When God Opens a Door

Last week I shared about the fact that I’m going to be participating in the Daring Way Certification. I am really excited about it and believe it’s going to be a great experience,  but I thought I’d give you a bit of the back story about how it came together because well. . . it almost didn’t.

Because friends, I don’t know about you but sometimes I pray for God to open doors for one thing or another and then He does. . . and I’m forced to make a move. I need to choose to walk through or stay.

And honestly it scares the heck out of me. . . .the not knowing what’s on the other side.

So I heard about the certification program several months ago and was intrigued because I thought it would be such a blessing to add to my work and be able to use Dr. Brown’s research and methodologies. But I was convinced that it was something I could never do for so many reasons; cost, time, and not the least being that I just assumed I wouldn’t be accepted into the program because maybe I wasn’t “qualified enough”.

The truth is this certification program had a rigorous application and several criteria that had to be met. And I met them. All of them.

Still I doubted. . .

But here’s the thing, if I had a client trying to go through the negative self-talk I was experiencing, I would encourage them to go over the facts and process through this irrational thinking. It’s just that in this case it was me with the irrational thinking so I had to coach myself.

So mostly out of curiosity I started emailing the contact person about the program. I gave some of my credential information and asked whether he thought I could attend. We emailed back and forth for several weeks as he reviewed my documents. Until I finally got the email that said I was accepted.

In other words I was “in like Flynn” if I could just get over my perceived under qualifications.

I’d been living as though I needed to convince others of my worth. Of my value and expertise. Of my credibility and qualifications.

But if I can be honest, I am qualified. I am smart, I have experience and education. I have much to offer.

In reality, it’s myself that I have had to convince.

This was an opportunity I had been praying about. The chance to bless others in my work and through my coaching.

I had prayed that if it were His will that God would open this door and I would be accepted into the training. He opened it. Then I still hesitated and prayed that if it was meant to be that I attend then my husband needed to be on board and support this as I felt it was a lot to ask for me to be away from home for several days plus there was all the cost involved. My husband said go. . .

But still I was afraid.

God was opening doors but I was basically saying, “Lord thanks but no thanks. . .I just can’t. . .”

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment     -2 Timothy 1:7

Because I was unable to believe that He was big enough to use me in this way. I was ready to bury my talents like in the parable rather than trust that God could use my little and grow it.

But the desire was still there, I really wanted to go I just needed to give myself permission to walk through this door.

I had to believe that I deserved to be there and I had to trust that God would be with me no matter what lay on the other side.

And I don’t know what your doors might look like. But maybe God is opening a door in your life as well.

Maybe it’s wide open welcoming you to walk through and move toward your dreams, or a career or personal goal. Or maybe the door is opened just a slight crack. Maybe the opening is just small enough to begin to heal a relationship, to move forward from a past hurt or to take the very first step in a walk with the Lord.

The size and color of our doors might look different but the invitation to trust Him with whatever lies beyond is the same.

Sadly there have been times in my life when God has opened doors but I have not been brave enough to walk through them. I don’t know what I’ve missed out on but I know I didn’t want to miss out anymore.

And so after much prayer and wise counsel from dear friends who love me and encourage me and at times have even believed in me more than I have believed in myself I held my breath and decided to take a chance and walk on through this door.

And I can’t wait to see what’s on the other side.

How about you friends, have there been doors in your life that have been hard to walk through?

 

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