Doorways/ Open? Revolving? or Shut?

One afternoon recently I was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying time with my friend Connie Cimaglia and 2 of my boys Daniel and Derek.  Connie often has a lot of wisdom to offer, a way of getting you to look at things from a different angle and a huge ability to make you laugh.  You could say table talk with Connie is very enjoyable.

Every since that last meeting with her, I have been pondering something she shared with us.  She told us how important it is to not push doors open that God has already closed or is trying to close.  That just really stuck with me.   I think the hard part is KNOWING if God is trying to shut the door but we have been coming back thru it so much that its turned into one of those revolving doors that just keeps spinning around.  We are just stuck in there and continue moving round and round.  Now were out, OH were back in, nope I guess were out, NOPE we are back in again.  Some of the situations in my life have been like this and its maddening.  Theres so many doors in my life that I have turned into those revolving doors and I cant tell the difference on if God is shutting it or opening it because I let my own wants for my life to turn those doors into revolving doors that are IMPOSSIBLE to shut.

So let me just be REAL here.  I think sometimes we are so busy looking for God to open doors for us, we are to stubborn to notice the ones hes closing.  We tend to hang onto things so tightly and don't want to allow those doors to close.  I realized just recently that those doors that we are keeping open despite what God is trying to do, are the very things that we allow to own us. 

I myself have let way to many things in my life own me. 
**Jobs or businesses that I should of let go of long before I did.
**Relationships that I didn't want to admit I had been the sole investor in and the other person was     really not as interested in the friendship or relationship  as I was. It makes it really hard when its a    family member, someone that logic tells you that you have to hang on to this and make it work.
**The desire to fit in and be accepted in different areas of my life.
**The need to be everything to everybody.
**Insecurities
**The need to be everything to my children that I longed for as a child. 
 This list could go on...

Let me say that none of these things are bad.  Its good to not give up easily on a job, a business or a relationship.  Its good to want to be the best you can be.  But its not good to let those things own you to the extent that you stop listening to the direction God wants you to go and you only listen to your own needs, pride and desires. 

I think if everything seems to be going against you in an area of life.  Its important to ask God for wisdom, to ask him to reveal to you clearly if this is a door he is wanting to shut in your life, then LISTEN...... then have the courage to allow those doors to shut if thats where God is taking you. 

I used to have such a hard time letting doors shut, it felt like I was giving up, like I was failing, I am learning now that it just means I am listening to what God is telling me and I am MOVING FORWARD!!