TITLE: Doorkeepers and Dorky Birds By Cheri Hardaway 07/04/08 |
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It was earmarked for publishing when I first wrote it, but the publication was relatively new, ran into difficulties, and it never went to press.
Any and all comments welcome.
Thanks, Cheri
Doorkeepers and Dorky Birds
By Cheri Hardaway © 2005
The family Bible study for the evening had been Psalm 84.
“Did any of the verses stand out to anyone in a particular way?” I queried our kids.
“I liked the one that said, ‘I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness’,” our sixteen-year-old daughter, Amanda, replied.
Sitting nearby, our thirteen-year-old daughter questioned her sister with raised brows, “What?” Laughter threatened to spill over, barely contained by the bubbly brunette.
Confusion played across the older girl’s sincere features. “What’s so funny?”
“You would rather be a dorky bird in . . . ” Hilarity erupted around the room, drowning out the rest of her sentence.
As I showered the next morning, I giggled to myself, remembering the exchange. Minutes later, however, I began to examine the thoughts as more than a “family funny.” Always a gentle teacher, the Holy Spirit coaxed me to follow Him along the paths He wanted me to ponder. What was it that Amanda had explained last night after the merriment had finally faded? Yes, that was it – she liked the image in that verse; it would be better to take a lowly position in God’s house than to live in the splendor of wickedness.
Is a doorkeeper only a lowly servant? Webster’s Dictionary defines “doorkeeper” as “one who tends a door.” Most of the movies I have watched portray doormen as happy and helpful, ready to be of assistance. These servants can help form your first impression of the establishment you are about to enter. If they choose not to open the door, you could be stranded outside. Or if they happen to be especially nasty, you might choose not to enter the building at all. Though they are servants, doorkeepers appear to be quite important.
My thoughts continued. Wasn’t Jesus presented as a door in scripture? Yes, in John 10:9, He said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Therefore, to be saved, we must go through the door of Jesus, according to His word.
And how does one find this door? In Mark 16:15&16, Jesus Himself instructed, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Here He was speaking to His disciples. By extension, He is addressing all believers with this commission. As Christians, if we are to take the gospel to every creature, then we are leading every creature to the Door, making us divine doorkeepers. A divine doorkeeper tends the Door, Christ Jesus.
Doorkeepers should be happy and helpful, ready to assist. When we encounter hearts that are ready to receive the gospel message, the Door opens to heaven and eternal life. Are we always happy and helpful, ready to assist, or are we sometimes irritable and selfish, too busy with our own lives and concerns to be bothered with directing people to the Door? What kind of first impression do we leave when people approach the Kingdom’s door? And on those exceptionally awful days – we all have them – might our countenance chase people away from the Lord, the Door we attend? Attitude is everything.
My thoughts drifted from doorkeepers to dorky birds. Again I chuckled. Birds. Living in the country, my family and I had ample opportunities to observe birds in their natural habitat. Many were fun to watch. One bird truly peeved me, though – the blue jay. Now, there was a dorky bird! Not content to share seed, greedy and rude, they bombarded the other banqueting birds, chasing them away.
Wait, the Spirit gently chided. When a divine doorkeeper allows his countenance to chase away people who are standing outside the Door, waiting to attend the Kingdom’s heavenly banquet, what makes him different from the dorky blue jay?
The hot water had grown cold, making me realize how long I had been lingering in the shower under the Holy Spirit’s tutelage. So, what would I be today – a divine doorkeeper or a dorky bird?
Bible verses taken from NKJV.
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