Fathers of the Open Door
by Sharon Reidenbach
The Dream: You have no appointment.
But you’re troubled.
Without being announced, or fearing you’ll
intrude, you dash past the
secretary into your father’s office. She runs
after you. “You can’t
bother your father. He’s in the middle of a
multimillion dollar
crisis.” But your father stands. “Excuse me
gentlemen, someone
important needs me.” Taking your hand he leads you
to a couch where
you pour out your heart. He doesn’t glance at his
watch. He listens.
Before leaving you’re given a hug and reminded the
door is always
open. Seeds of trust, love, and acceptance are
nurtured.
The Reality: You have a difficult
situation and seek your
father’s help. You run past the secretary to his
office. But the
door’s closed. “He’s busy,” she says. “Please,
please tell him I must
see him.” The secretary taps on the door. “I
thought I told you not to
disturbed me,” a gruff voice answers. “I know sir,
but your daughter .
. .” “This merger is paramount,” he blares. “Have
her wait.” Hours
pass, and you leave. Seeds of anger, hurt, and
mistrust are planted.
The Reality scenario is painful for those who
have lived it. God
wasn’t kidding when He said, “Fathers, do not
provoke your children,
lest they become discouraged” (Colossians 3:21,
NKJV). But a dad’s job
is tough. And keeping an ‘open door’ isn’t easy.
New fathers who are
told, “Now be a good dad,” with little or no
instructions, is like
tossing a teenager keys to a semi-truck: Both are
headed for disaster!
But dads, be encouraged. Our Mighty Lord
didn’t leave you
stranded. When He gives a command, we’re shown how
to live it.
First, “God listened, to Israel’s
cry,” (Numbers 21:3,
NKJV). Problems in other countries didn’t make Him
deaf to their
anguish. Second, with hundreds of others vying for
His attention, in
Matthew 11: 28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who
labor and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest.” He individually
invites us to come
and sit with Him on the sofa to rest. Third, in
John 6: 37 we’re
assured when going through Jesus’ door that; “ . .
. the one who comes
to Me I will by no means cast out.” We’re never
turned away. And
fourth, James 1:19-20 summarizes the points, “ .
. .be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath . . .” Jesus only
became angry, with
righteous anger, when the priest defiled His
Father’s house.
Who wouldn’t want this kind of openness, and
never have to wait
for hours! God understands the ‘position of dad,’
or life, can
overwhelm us. Consequently, He demonstrates,
again, what an ‘open
door’ looks like. We’re promised in Psalm 121:3-4,
“ . . . He who
keeps [your name] will not slumber. Behold, He who
keeps [your name]
will neither slumber nor sleep.” If God, Who runs
the universe, is
available anytime, may we too, go and do likewise!
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