That being said I am sorry in advanced for using a cliche metaphor, but maybe I can bring a little color back into it. And if not...well it’s 2am and I should be sleeping so this is the best I can do.
I always pictured those ‘doors of opportunity’ in my mind lined up side by side with half facing the other half all the way down a long hallway that blurred into one single point that my art teacher always referred to as the vantage point. It is the visual implication of continual existence.
And there it is...the basic truth in the metaphor. Life’s opportunities are endless and continuous. No matter where you go every step you take presents you with countless opportunities and new doors waiting to be opened. You simply can’t escape it. It’s a nightmare for the indecisive that unfortunately is as real as can be.
Decisions are a part of life; small ones and big ones. Some of the smaller opportunities may only be windows opening slight breezes of experiences while others may be intimidating double doors offering an entrance into a brand new sector of your life. But each one is a decision whether simple or complicated, minuscule or life changing.
Some people spend their lives standing in front of one door deciding if they should turn the once shiny gold knob that has now rusted away with wasted time...or not. They pace back and forth, back and forth, biting their nails hoping that a decision will be clear before there is no nail left and they end up biting their finger. The paneled flooring has lost it’s shiny glaze finish in the small stretch of their pacing but they still haven’t come to a decision. So they remain there. Not moving in any direction, just back and forth back and forth dwelling one that one decision to make or not make.
Other people enjoy life by prancing through the hallway and pausing only when a shiny door catches their attention and reels them in. It’s living life in the moment and on immediate decisions that thrill their lives. And they never bother with the ordinary looking doors. They know there can’t possibly be any fun living behind those closed doors.
But that is the problem. See the devil has had years, and decades, and centuries of experience on us. He knows how to catch our attention and what will distract us from the decisions we need to be making. Don’t get me wrong, not all of those pretty, shiny, attractive doors are bad. But he’ll definitely make sure his doors of opportunities stand out just as much if not more. All he needs you to do is slow down from your prancing and gallivanting down the hallway long enough to get lured in.
Fish always think they’re in for a great meal when they find that dead worm floating at the surface of the water. Some fish are smart, they take a small bite of the worm to double check the taste and genuinity (not sure if it’s a word, but it is now) of the worm. It’s not always that first nibble that catches them. But once they’ve tasted it they’re good as gone because that second bite will trap them.
That door may be freshly painted. The knob may be newly replaced and shiny. You may even crack the door a little to peek inside. But reality never stands in front of the door, it’s always lurking behind the door waiting for it to swing open and embrace you. So don’t let it fool you.
If that fish only slowed down on it’s way to a surprise dinner it would have seen something odd about the worm cause first of all dead worms don’t float and second of all that grey metal thing sticking halfway through would not be normal. Feel free to go skipping through life and being spontaneous, just make sure you at least slow down long enough to know what your biting into and what knob you’re really turning.
Am I saying the spontaneous person is not as wise as the cautious?
No, because most likely the cautious person is not pacing outside one of those shallow doors that can only promise beauty and enjoyment when looking from the outside. Instead they are probably pacing outside a very sensible decision and instead of making that decision they have been distracted by double guessing themselves over and over again.
Instead of being fooled by what looks like a lucky dinner that is really a trap...they stare at the sunken worm wondering if it's real because it's not floating on the surface like all the others. Cause you know worms don't float, but maybe they do because all the others seem to. Maybe this worm resting on the bottom of the lake is a new type of bait, that a super genius came up with? The overly cautious constantly get bogged down by double, and triple questioning themselves until they talk in circles and don't even remember what their gut feeling was.
What can I say, the devil is one smart trickster.
Did I mean this blog to be pessimistic and hopeless? No. And the reason is this; it is not hopeless.
There’s a simple way to be able to discern and distinguish a good door from a bad one, a lucky dinner, from a trap on a fishing pole. And that is simply to know what opportunities you should be looking for.
If you know what a real drowned worm looks like, you can recognize that the metal hook sticking through it should not be there. If you know what you’re looking for, you can usually recognize when you find it so you don’t have to wear out the glaze finish on the flooring.
More importantly, be familiar with your tour guide. He knows how your life already plays out...you just need to be familiar with his voice, not the trickster's. He'll guide you through it all, but if you don't know what His voice sounds like, or how He communicates with you...you might as well be listening to a clown giving you directions in the new hay maze they built. You wouldn't notice the difference.
