Unlock the Door

Written on June 8, 2011 about Easter 2011:

It was my idea to eat Easter dinner at 2:00 p.m. instead of later in the afternoon. “Aw, it’ll be no problem, Mama,” I said. “I’ll come home right after the first service at church, take the scalloped potatoes out, cook the green beans, and pop the ham in, which will come out just as the rest of you get home from church.” She needed some more convincing—we were having seventeen people for dinner—but eventually she said, “Okay, Suzanne.”

I had been up at 4:30 a.m. or so, slipping quietly down the stairs with my mom, and lifting our bird of the day—the large turkey—into the pan. Two hours later I woke up again to the smell of roast turkey. Things were going according to schedule.

As I was driving home from church, I was feeling good. I was going to be the hero; dinner was going to be a success because of me. I think I was in the middle of singing a song when I turned onto the last street before our house. A thought shot across my mind. The singing stopped.

“Oops!” I said out loud. “I don’t have a house key!” And I had even lent my phone to my mom.

Instead of panicking, I laughed. The irony! And I was definitely humbled… church was too far away to make it worth going back, and it was definitely not very heroic at all to sit on the porch and observe my watch approach 2:00. Fortunately I found a lawn chair and sat down to read my Bible. After about forty-five minutes, I heard the phone ringing inside. Poor Mama. She had no idea.

During that hour and a half that I sat on the porch, a mix of amusement and embarrassment, I pondered an analogy. Often we live on the “porch” of the promises of God. Everything that we need is just inside, but we don’t have the key—either because of ignorance (we don’t even know His promises) or unbelief. God wants us to use the key of promise, to go into His house and enjoy everything He has for us.

We need to learn His promises. The porch might be nice, and perhaps we too quickly become content with staying there…but I know that I certainly do not want to live there. I want to go inside. I want to answer the phone. I want to eat the turkey.
Mama came home and thought I was playing games with her… but as soon as she understood the situation, she was gracious, we adjusted our plans, and amazingly, all seventeen of us ate and were filled. God was good to me on Easter Sunday, and He not only encouraged me to claim His promises, but He resurrected our dinner. 

"For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." -2 Corinthians 1:20


He promised to be:
-our Wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30)
-our Advocate (1 John 2:1)
-our Peace (Eph. 2:14)
-our Friend (John 15:15)