Success requires determination to open doors you think are locked. Let your spirit guide you there, says Dr John Tibane. Are you feeling discouraged and wanting to give up ? I may not know your exact circumstances, but I once had an experience that helped me look at life differently. Like many people I also used to give up too quickly; starting projects and never finishing them, yet getting extremely frustrated when things didn't go my way. I thank our heavenly Father for the life-changing experience I went through one Wednesday morning in May 2004. The night before, a client had requested I send a proposal through by 9am the following morning. That night I arranged with my PA that we be in the office by 7.30am to work on this important proposal. On that particular morning I hurried to the office and was there by 7.15am, but being in such a hurry I had forgotten my office keys at home. I sat in my car waiting for my PA to arrive at the agreed time. I waited and waited, but there was no sign of her. I was angry at my PA for not coming in on time and by 8 am my blood was boiling. You can understand that a business deal was at stake, so I had every reason to be upset. I wrote a note, which I planned to slip under the door to let her know I had been there earlier and was going home to get my keys. I walked to the office door. While slipping the note under it, I heard the phone ring in the office. This angered me even more, thinking that customers were calling and my PA's absence was costing us business. To my surprise I heard her answering the phone. She had been there all along and had come to the office earlier than I had. All the time I was sitting in my car looking at the closed door, she had been inside waiting for me. The door was closed, but not locked! I learnt a crucial lesson that day: not every closed door is locked. You will never know if the door is locked until you turn the doorhandle. "PLEASE COME IN, DOORS CLOSED ON ACCOUNT OF WEATHER!" How many opportunities have passed you by because they presented as closed doors? You will never know if the door is locked until you turn the door handle. Have you ever been to a building that normally has its door wide open, but this time it's closed? If you don't get closer to the door, you won't see the message that reads: "Please come in, the door is closed on account of weather." The doors of your career, relationships and business maybe closed on account of certain circumstances. Get closer to your situations and you may realise that they are not as critical as you may have thought. Your colleague or teenage child could be defensive, unapproachable and not opening up. A little extra effort in trying to understand them can make a difference. THINGS WILL NEVER SHIFT IN YOUR FAVOUR UNTIL YOU MAKE AMOVE. I went to a shopping mall recently and paid special attention to everything. As I approached the mall, it's doors automatically slid open for me. I repeated the experience. I then stood outside the mall for a while, watching people go in and out. I noticed that the sliding doors were designed to stay closed. And they remained that way until you made a move towards them. I saw all kinds of people going in and out - Black and White, young and old, male and female - and the doors responded the same way. At that moment I learnt another lesson: some things will never move in your favour until you make that move. NEVER GIVE UP Joy, peace and prosperity await you on the other side of the door. If you belong there, true spirit will lead you there. Whatever was meant to be yours, will be! But it is required of you to have faith and stay focused. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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