ARE YOU a door slammer? I know some of you live on your own, but probably haven’t always been.
Have you ever slammed a door shut out of pure frustration to get away from a situation or argument? Did if feel great to hear the crash of the door against the door frame? Spend a few moments thinking about doors shutting in your life and how that has made you feel.
Maybe a door has shut on a job, a relationship, a friendship, all sort of things we can think about that feels like the door has been shut on that situation.
I couldn’t help thinking of the late Larry Grayson who said ‘shut that door’, which definitely shows my age. I’m sure that sometimes we have been the ones to shut the door but often it is others that may have shut the door on us, which can be very painful.
2020 has been like being on the biggest and most terrifying rollercoaster, it felt like we were strapped in with no way to get off, no matter how much we screamed it just didn’t stop, so many twists, turns and loop the loops. We are now at a New Year and we have to say enough is enough.
We cannot drag the negativity and angst into this new opportunity.
There are 66.5 million people living in the UK and so it will take a bit of time for the vaccine to get to everyone, but by some miracle there is a vaccine.
After the Second World War, it took nine years before rationing ended, in total there was 14 years of rationing. We are not going to get out of this pandemic as quickly as maybe we would like, but it is happening.
God is waiting on the other side of the door, waiting for us to open it. The famous painting by William Holman Hunt The Light of the World is based on the Bible Reading from Revelation 3: 20 “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.”
There is a beautiful painting of Jesus knocking on the door of our hearts waiting for us to let him in. There is no door handle or way for Jesus to open the door, as we have to make that choice.
Just as Jesus is wanting us to open the door of our hearts to let him in he also wants us to open the door to this new year and to step into it with him, to guide us and led us every step of the way and make a new start with him.
Let us together slam the door shut on 2020 and walk together with renewed hope for 2021.
Captain Jan Howlin is from Wokingham Salvation Army, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham
