Who's stationed at your door?

It was a warm summer day when my Mother started calling our names, “Kay…Charlie”. The only thing separating my childhood home from the railroad tracks behind our house was an alley and small embankment. But to the wonderment of a child, that alley held treasures and far away places that could only be envisioned through the eyes of a child. The brush became forts where we fought dangerous Indians or conquered thieves and robbers, and always the victor! The next day the very same brush would become the backdrop for a royal kingdom complete with handsome princes’ that rode to our rescue upon glimmering white stallions. We even picnicked on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were fit for royalty! Although on that particular day we decided to venture beyond the boundaries that had been drilled into our minds. You remember those boundaries and the consequences of crossing over! When we finally heard our names being called we ran back to the “safe zone”, albeit a little too late! We had been discovered...UGH!! As we came through the gate, slowly walking up the yard to the back door, we just knew where our Mother would be…sitting in the doorway, waiting for us. She sat at the advantage point; we HAD to pass in front of her to get into the house.

“He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD's temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.” (2 Chronicles 23:19)

When reading this verse I immediately was taken back in time to our childhood “alley days.” Our Mother was the doorkeeper to our home as a protector for her children. The boundaries that she instilled in us (sometimes via the back of a wooden stick!!) were meant not to curtail our curiosity but to ensure our safety by not allowing any “unclean ways” to enter us.

In much the same way, God has set boundaries for us, His children today. Our bodies (mind, soul and spirit) are the temple that the Holy Spirit lives in today. “Set a guard over my mouth, oh Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil or take part in wicked deeds.” (Psalm 141:3-4) David mouthed this petition to God a long time ago, but it is as relevant for us today as it was when he spoke the request. Why? Because God knows that whatever “things” we allow to enter our hearts can either promote good or have the potential to destroy us. Jesus said, “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) What we allow our eyes to see and our minds to entertain will eventually find its way into our hearts and then be externally exhibited in our actions and behaviors. God wants only the best for us, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

He hasn’t stationed the Holy Spirit as the “doorkeeper” of our hearts to deny us, but rather to ensure our safety. So the next time when trying to determine what to do and we sense that tug at our hearts…listen, don’t dismiss it! It just may be the very voice of God trying to get our attention and divert us from an “unclean” intruder!

By the way, I almost never was on the receiving end of “the” stick...well, ok maybe that thought is a left over remnant of my “pretend” days too!!