“When God Closes A Door”

Last updated on: September 4, 2012 at 5:45 am by Libby Anne

“When God Closes A Door” 2012-08-29T11:50:15-04:00 Libby Anne

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Have you ever heard the phrase “sometimes God closes a door”? It was a common phrase in my evangelical upbringing. If you, say, were applying for a job and then didn’t get it, well, you would say that God “closed that door.” And this was good, of course, because by closing a door God was guiding you to something better for you.

See, growing up as an evangelical Christian meant growing up believing that God was intimately involved in our lives in very real ways. We believed God was present, very present, and that he actually intervened in our lives on a daily basis.

If you were closing on a house and then it suddenly fell through, well, God “closed that door.” If you wanted to go to the store and then your car broke down, well, God clearly wanted you to stay home. If you got lost on the way to a meeting, God must not have wanted you to be at that meeting. And on and on and on.

In many ways this was very comforting. After all, God was in control. God was taking care of us, watching out for us, and when something looked like it was going wrong we knew that it was actually for the best, because God was directing our lives. If you got fired, well, that’s God’s plan. If you signed up for something too late and didn’t get in, well, God closed that door.

I hadn’t even even thought of the problem with this until I was conversing with a young woman in a Quiverfull home and asked her about college. She told me that if her parents allowed her to go to college, then she wanted to go, but if they said no, well, then that would be God “closing the door.” In other words, she chose to interpret parental opposition as God’s message to her that she should not go to college.

“Maybe God wants you to open the door yourself,” I suggested.

“Libby! I’m a Christian!” was her response.

This idea that God opens and closes doors may be comforting, but it can also be debilitating. It can stop people from trying, stop them from fighting, stop them from stepping out and creating their own destinies.

When I concluded that there was no God, my entire perspective changed and I realized that I had to get myself where I wanted to be myself. If I wanted to go to grad school, nothing but good grades and a good cover letter and recommendations would get me there. And if I failed, well, that was life, not God trying to tell me something. And personally? I like that. I like that I no longer have to spend time guessing at God’s will, trying to read the events around me as “signs” regarding what God wants me to do. I like that my choices are mine, my successes are mine, and my failures are mine.

And best of all, I like that I can open my own doors.

Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism

ethics

freedom

healing

Previous Post

September 3, 2012

The Merger: Evangelicalism and the GOP

Next Post

September 4, 2012 Worthwhile Reads: Politics and Lying

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atheism Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism Family Feminism Homeschool Meta Parenting Patriarchy Politics Purity Quiverfull Social Justice Uncategorized Worthwhile reads

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who baptized Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

John the Baptist James Paul Peter