Thought-Provoking Doors

   Today, I found a really interesting quote that goes along with something I have been thinking about  recently.

     "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 that has been opened for us"
                                -Helen Keller

   I love that. To me it says that we have to be proactively searching for those doors that are opened to us, and that if we spend time staring at those doors that are already closed, we are sure to miss out on a lot.
  The other day, a friend posed an interesting thought to me. They said something to the extent that when one door closes, another door opens, but just because it is an open door doesn't mean that it is the right door.
     So, how do we know that the open door that is looming in front of us is the right door? Well, since God is the one that opens and closes the vast majority of those doors for us, I think it would be safe to say that God will know the right door for each of us, individually. I know this to be true. God loves us and wants to bless us, and all we have to do is ask Him what is best for us, and He will show us the way.



         Another interesting thought since we are on the subject of doors. Thinking about Christ and something He said while among the people in Jerusalem. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me"  (Revelations 3:20). I love the painting of Christ at the door. It never has a doorknob, showing that Christ will never force His way in, but that we must allow Him in. This can be applied generally to many doors in life that we ourselves have to go forth and open, instead of waiting for someone to open them for us. Just like the door that Christ knocks on, there are other doors which only wait for us to make a conscious effort in opening them ourselves.





     Lastly, I really like John 10:9. It says, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9). Going back to the beginning, though there are many doors that constantly are being open and closed all around us, ultimately the most important one is Christ Himself, who is the way, the truth, and the life. If we look to Him as an example, and strive with all our might to follow, we will find a greater joy and happiness than by any other way.

Transfers and Changes

  Well, today was transfers and I have a new companion. His name is Elder Waltman. I will be with him for at least six weeks, although depending, I could be with him for twelve. Every time I am going to be getting a new companion, (this will be my 9th companion in about as many months) I wonder what they are going to be like, and if I am going to have a more difficult, or an easier time of it. Although I have had some difficult companions, most of the time they have been pretty easy to get along with. Generally at the beginning of every transfer, I strive to go into the new six-week period with an excitement and optimism that it is going to go well, and I am going to have an easy time of getting along with my new companion.

    I think all of life is like this. Throughout life, there will always be changes ahead of us that we might be unsure about. Will these changes be easy to live with, or will this new challenge be one of the most difficult things we have ever had to deal with? If I were to go into a new companionship dreading it, knowing that it could never work out, and that it is going to be the worst time of my life, chances are pretty good that that's what will happen. Same with life. Some changes are just plain awful and can be very difficult to find anything good in them. Guess what, there are companions like that, too. But, I have a firm belief that there is a silver lining to EVERY gray cloud. Whether it's easy to spot, or it takes some very deep digging to find, it's there. A lot of it depends on the way we look at it - our perspective. In order for me to find the silver lining, it becomes imperative that I go into a new situation with optimism and a hope that things are going to work out for the better. When this happens, my chances of finding the positive are going to drastically and exponentially increase.

        I am super excited for this transfer and for this opportunity to work with Elder Waltman. I know that if I do my part in looking for the good in this change, I am bound to find it, and to learn and grow from it as well. I have no doubt that if we apply this perspective throughout my life in any situtation that we may come up against, we will be able to find much joy and postivity in life.