The Locked Gate

Life is just like this sometimes. Our path goes smoothly for a while then suddenly there is a locked gate ahead looming large before us, a blockage in our path that won’t allow us to pass without stepping way out of our comfort zone and making some sort of sacrifice. In life we can’t exactly go back to what life was before we arrived at the locked gate; we have three choices. We either give up, or sit by the locked gate and hope someone with the key will show up soon, or we must get uncomfortable, sweaty, messy, and possibly wet. We must get out of our cozy place and get to a place where things are out of sync with our earthly comfort and understanding to get around the locked gate.

The blockage may be present circumstances, health, work, finances, housing, car.

The blockage may be in relationships: marriage, children, family, co-workers, people.

This blockage maybe past chains you wear around your ankles or maybe even your neck! Chains of anger, resentment, blame, shame, regret, guilt, disappointments, past mistakes.

Whatever it is (they are) you’re justifiably tired of being stuck. The old adage “Been there, done that.” rings much truth. You’re tired of waiting for circumstances to change, people to reconsider, chains to drop off.

Sometimes it’s really, really hard because you may end up being stuck in front of that locked gate for a long time. If your heart’s desire is to move past the locked gate, fence, wall, that keeps you stuck you must take an initiative. Make the effort to do something different. Trust God entirely!

God has already taken the initiative to connect with you in a very personal way. He wrote in His Word He desires you to get to know Him. He came to earth and satisfied the payment required to release you from the burden…

“To heal the brokenhearted and to set the captive free.” See Luke 4:18

Maybe the whole reason for the locked gate is for you to draw close to Him. It’s time to wholly turn everything over to Him. By trusting Him and waiting only on Him your circumstances might still stink but now you have God Almighty on your side and suddenly the gate doesn’t loom as large before you. God wants you to trust that He’s capable, to recognize who you are because you became His child. No longer a lost vagrant in this world, now a sojourner waiting to rest in His arms.

For years I struggled with weight around my neck much too heavy to endure alone. Weight of circumstances, deep childhood wounds, steep mountains to climb when I did not possess the gear, a truckload of regrets and yearnings of what should have been. What could have been if only…

The burdens became so huge; I could no longer walk and had to crawl on my hands and knees carrying the enormous load attached to my back. I kept hearing people say to turn to Jesus, turn you heart there, leave the bundle of heartache, grief, and sadness at the cross. I did often, but seeing little change in my life, my pain, my circumstances, I’d hoist the baggage back up again, tighten the chains around my neck once more, and continued crawling like stray animal.

You see my dilemma was that I already had Jesus in my heart. I already believed, I already trusted, I already invited Him in my life decades before. I was loaded with faith and expected an extraordinary healing, a miraculous freedom that never came. I had done the end all to be all. Believed, trusted Jesus as my savior!

Why then was that insufferable burden still there? Where was the healing of the brokenhearted and setting the captive free that Jesus promised?

Why wasn’t that working in my life?

Why didn’t it apply to me?

Two reasons.

First: I didn’t dedicate myself to delve into His Word, know His Word, and fully understand His promises. The key to the locked gate was in His word, my Bible all along. Had I been truly searching, actually studying it miles and miles before, my hands and knees wouldn’t have been so scuffed up and bloody from crawling, my neck bruised and chafed from the chains, my back aching from the weight. I would have seen the answers to my suffering right there in His word. Clear as clear glass!

Second: I want ready, willing, or able to completely, wholeheartedly, unapologetically, turn EVRTYTHING over to Him, including every inch of myself inside and out. As the genuine owner of myself I felt I reserved the right to hold a few things back. Nothing big or note worthily sinful, just a few little things. Tiny fractions of my will. No big deal, right? Wrong. It took plenty of grief and way too much time but I found that once I did those two things the dark weight on my back lightened up and His light poured right into me. Not all at once, but little by little I got glimpses of the shiny key that would release the burdens and unlock the gate.

It happened a verse here, a Bible story there, prayers and supplications everywhere. The more I looked into His Word the more life made sense and didn’t make sense all at once but I knew I had finally found the gold over the rainbow that everyone yearns for.

You see in the gold glow there sat a basket of fruit. The fruit of His Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

But there was real gold there too, don’t get me wrong. A gold crown my Father the King of heaven and earth had set aside for His daughter to grow into.

My crown doesn’t quite fit yet; I have to grow into it quite a bit. If I try to put it on it slides down past my head and plops on my shoulders right now, but I am promised in God’s Word that if I continue to partake of the basket of fruit and of His word, I will grow more and more into it. As my growth continues it will slide down less and less. Before long it will only slide down to my nose. Then one day it will fit just right. It will be that very day that God Himself will place it on my head and say,

“Welcome my child, my princess, my good and faithful servant.”

And it will be that day that the gold crown can rest on my head as any respectable crown should; however, it will be more endearing to place it at Jesus’ feet.

He can do the same for you.

By ~ Elizabeth Yalian 2013-2014 ©http://hiseyeisonthissparrow.com. ♛