“See I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” (Revelation 3:7 NKJV)

When Helen Keller was approximately 19 months old, she was stricken with an illness that left her blind, deaf, and unable to speak. We may have perceived life had closed the door on Helen Keller; but to the contrary, she overcame her adversity of being blind, deaf and mute to become one of the 20th century’s leading humanitarians as well as co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Helen Keller once quoted, “When one door of happiness closes; another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been open for us.”

I am sure you may have experienced a closed door or two. I sure have. The closed door may have masqueraded as job loss or rejection, failing an exam, ending of a relationship, an illness, a broken-down vehicle, home foreclosure, or maybe it was some other problem or financial setback. Whatever it was, that door is now closed. Instead of staring at that closed door, open your eyes to new possibilities. I believe God closes doors to point us into a new, more positive direction.

I recently read an article in the AARP Magazine which shared the story of Eileen Cooper. Ms. Cooper was an Information Technology (IT) specialist for a company where she had worked for 25 years. As a result of a mass layoff, Ms. Cooper’s job was terminated. She was devastated having no idea what she was going to do after 25 years in the same job. She experienced months of job searching with no opportunity in sight. She even resulted in going door to door submitting applications. The proverbial door had closed.

Eventually, Ms. Cooper stumbled upon an open door called the AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). She enrolled in the program and started training as their IT specialist. This new role modeled her lifelong commitment to serving others. She spent four years in the program and when her time there ended, she volunteered until she found permanent employment.

Ms. Cooper shared this closed-door experience showed her how resilient she is and strengthened her ability to counsel and encourage others. She stated, “You are going to have challenges. You are going to get doors shut in your face. But you can choose to focus on it, or you can pick yourself up and say, Let’s go forward.”

Are you staring at a closed door right now? Like Helen Keller and Eileen Cooper demonstrated, do not continue staring at the closed door because there is an open door waiting for you—you only have to recognize it!

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