Don't Stand in the Doorway

Doorways are exciting things. Sometimes, you have absolutely no idea what rests on the other side. Even if you’ve walked through it a thousand times and are 95% sure you know what to expect, there can still be a surprise on the other side. We did it to Char a few years ago. I had taken her out for her birthday and while I did, Teri and Sarah put together a surprise birthday party with about thirty-plus of our friends. We approached the door and Char expected it to be like every other time she had opened it.

It wasn’t.

As she passed through it, shouts of “Surprise!” and “Happy Birthday!” bombarded her and scared her out of a few future birthdays. It also caused a few sailor-like words to come out of her mouth. It was worth it, though.

Yet, if Char had never passed through that door, she never would have known what was waiting for her on the other side. To experience all that was there, she had to not only open the door; she had to walk through it.

It’s the same with our dreams. We quite often approach the door and then that’s as far as we get. We just stand there, talking about what could be on the other side and how we hope it will all turn out. Yet, we never cross that threshold. We create a traffic jam by just standing there.

It can be scary passing through doors. Sometimes, what is on the other side isn’t what we expected. People have passed over their thresholds only to find someone had been there before them and trashed the place. Fear replaces security and an ungodly amount of money is spent on locks.

To be honest, it can be that way with our dreams. Perhaps, it doesn’t work out the way we want it to and we find ourselves passing through a different door. However, we will never find out if we never take that step through and discover what waits for us. We have to risk if we ever want to see our dreams come true. It takes effort and that effort begins with walking through the door. You cannot just stand there blocking the way for others. I know from experience that they can become pretty cranky.

I don’t do well with heights, but I had been conned into attempting one of those giant water slides that looks like you are freefalling to your death. I stood there arguing with myself for quite a while until someone behind me shouted out to either slide or climb back down. “Get out of the way so someone else can have a shot.”

Good advice. I closed my eyes and pushed off, gritting my teeth and waiting for that giant splat that meant I had become a mound of bloody Jell-O on the concrete below. I survived, much to my amazement.

Yet, that is what keeps most of us standing in the doorway. Fear. We have to let go and risk. It’s time to stop talking about it and do it. You have to risk; you have to trust. You have to either walk through the door or close it, but don’t just stand there. You’re blocking the way.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~