The Blessings Behind Closed Doors

More than likely, you have experienced a time or two when you wanted something so desperately and it never came to pass. Maybe you can also recall a time in your life when you had prayed for God to work something out a certain way but His response to your prayers was "No".

Hearing the word no can be tough to handle; causing feelings of disappointment to arise inside of us. Perhaps that feeling of disappointment stems from all the times we heard it growing up as a child. "No, you cannot do that. "No, we cannot go there today."

"No, you cannot play outside right now"

Along with the feelings of disappointment that we carried with us from childhood, we might also feel rejection, especially as we mature as adults. Feeling rejected may have come from hearing someone say, "I'm sorry, but you're just not a good fit for this position, we've hired someone else, more qualified." Maybe it was hearing the answer, No to a proposal or idea you had pitched to someone that you just knew would be on board with your idea.

We don't always hear "No" directly from another person. Sometimes, just not receiving any response at all feels like a no to us.

Regardless of how the no is conveyed, it can leave us feeling bad about ourselves in some way.

But what if instead of viewing no as a bad thing, we began to see it as a good thing in our lives?

For instance, I'm pretty certain that you can look back on some of the experiences of your past and now recognize that hearing "No" really was a good thing. Maybe it even saved you from going down a treacherous path.

Just as our parents told us "No" to protect us, God sometimes answers, "No" for our protection as well. God knows what's best for us more than anyone else does.

God's no is just like a closed door. Throughout our lives, we are presented with closed doors as well as open ones. Some of the doors are simply not a part of God's plan for you, so he closes them for your protection.

Next time you experience a time of feeling let down or rejected, try to view the situation from another perspective. Although it may seem difficult to do when you're in the middle of it all, viewing your circumstances through God's eyes can help you cope and perhaps even understand it a little better. Remember that He loves you more than you can imagine and He wants what is best for you. God is working on our behalf, even when we cannot see anything.

Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose. Good News Translation