Well this elevator is unique in that the bottom floor access is actually on the exterior of the building. In designing the bottom floor entry this allowed for easier access and also a staging area for moving large, heavy items either up or out of the building. That outside entry arrangement provides the topic for today's Flat Tire Ministries Thought.
As I previously stated the entry for said elevator is from the exterior of the building. To keep those who don't need to enter the building and also to assure individuals with wrong intentions aren't entering the building at all times of the night, the exterior entry has a keyed function that unlocks the controls and allows you to access the elevator. Well, on my first encounter with the outside entry, this knowledge was unbeknownst to me, so when I made my first trip down the elevator to unload some items with a co-worker, we began unloading the items and putting them on a truck bed when the time elapsed and the doors began to close. My colleague alarmed me to catch the doors, which I attempted, but to no avail. Alas, we were locked out. I guess it's probably a good time to mention that it wasn't like we were stranded outside with no hope for re-entry, but actually it was more of the fact that it was over 90 degrees outside, the main entry to the building was around the corner and up the parking lot, and the sweat was already starting to make my shirt somewhat sticky. That's when I had my epiphany! When I was hired at my new position I was given a key that would open the exterior doors to the building, that didn't include the elevator, but it did include a door that was just around the corner that would actually be a short hop, skip, and jump from the elevator. Much to my surprise, I was actually only a short grasp of a key away from being back in the building and also back to unloading the contents of the elevator to the awaiting truck.
Isn't life like that in so many ways? We feel like we are locked out, running into closed doors, and missed opportunities which leave us feeling defeated or isolated from our goals in life. Too many times we only look at our circumstances in one light and if that light is dimmed by what appears to be a locked door we hang our heads and accept the situation as an inevitable defeat.
A job promotion doesn't happen, a relationship is on the brink of a break-up, the application was denied, or the door just closed on a deal that you happen to find yourself on the outside of looking in with no hope of being included. Just like in my situation with the elevator doors closing and my fear that I was locked out, I needed only to stop, evaluate the situation, and think through the possibilities which reminded me of the key in my pocket. We shouldn't look at our situations and believe that a positive outcome is impossible. Locked doors are only locked because there is a key to lock them, and yes, unlock them as well. Situations and circumstances happen and we believe the outcome is inevitably destined, yet in almost every situation, what appears to be the end of the book, is only the end to that chapter of the book.
You write your book. You determine what happens next. You have the promise of a savior that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), He will be there to help you edit the outcome of your story. The apostle James exhorts us in James 4:2 that "you have not, because you ask not". Like I said we determine what happens next in our adversities and afflictions and if we desire to move forward it is imperative that we have the faith and strength provided through that faith that will allow us to ask God to unlock that door or to provide us with the key to open that door or the door that we are actually supposed to enter. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
Don't get that scripture's promise confused. I was locked out from the elevator and I realized I had a key that would get me in a different door, but it wasn't the key to get me access back to the elevator. In the same way, when we ask God we must follow through on the rest of the scripture. We must seek God, and we must knock on the door to God through prayer, study, meditation, and an attentive spirit. The door that He opens, the answer to our prayer He provides may not be what we originally thought was the only answer, but His "key" leads us to where He wants us to be, where we are supposed to be.
If you feel like your life has hit a locked door and you don't have the key to get back on track in life, stop, reflect, think through your options and possibilities, and most importantly seek out God's will for your life. You will find that you have the key right there in your pocket!
Godspeed,
Coach Carter
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