A Door Without Hinges

By Marty Norman 

A door is an interesting thing.  Everyone has them, everyone uses them.  A working definition, for purposes of this article is: an opening that allows a body to move between two places quickly.

Recently my granddaughter Lily stayed at our house for a week.  She is into Webkinz, so our first activity was to go to Target and buy Hopkins the Elephant, and Hippie the Hippopotamus.  Next we got online to “adopt” these animals and give them a name.

The Webkinz site is a clever one. Once signed in, each pet owner has his/her own house. Each new pet is given a room of their own in the house.  Then the owner carefully picks out furniture, beds, room colors, and favorite objects customized for them to enjoy.  Each “adoptee” can travel from room to room to visit the other “adoptees”. However, to get from one room to the next they must stand in a doorway. With the click of a mouse they then move effortlessly from room to room.

In this fantasy world, doors are the key. Only by going through the door can one advance forward.

In the spiritual world, doors are also the key.  But the spiritual world is not fantasy. Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:20, “I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (NIV)

Another door – but one of greater importance – for this door leads to salvation, eternity, and to a personal relationship with the Savior. But this door is also an opening that allows our flesh and spirit to move quickly between two worlds, the spiritual and the physical.

I once read a meditation by my friend Cathy that described a door as having three hinges – a great description for physical and spiritual doors. It takes three hinges to hold a physical door in place. In the same way, in the spiritual realm, the three hinges are the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, staples that hold a person in place, keep us on the mark, and help us advance to the next room.

But what happens to the door that has no hinges, the person who has no spiritual foundation?

Here are some characteristics of a hinge-less door.

First of all, a hinge-less door cannot be opened – no way, no how, without the ability to open and close, the door falls to the ground.  There is no anchor, no connection to a foundation. A hinge-less person also has no anchor. With the slightest wind they fall for there is nothing holding them up.  

A hinge-less door is also rocky.  You never know when it will collapse. And when it falls, it damages that which it falls upon.  The same with the anchorless person.  Unaware of consequences they fall every which way, often damaging those with whom they come in contact.

A hinge-less door is unusable. It serves no purpose.  The same with the anchorless person.  How can they be used if they are not in step with God’s will and purpose?  God uses those who stay close and in contact with him to love, heal, and bless his people.  

A hinge-less door is out of control.  There is no stability that orders its way. Without a Father who loves, a Savior who redeems, and a Holy Spirit that leads and guides, the anchorless person is without form or stability.

So hinges are a necessary part of the moving forward process.  As believers of the “The Way”, it is up to us to carry extra hinges wherever we go, for we never know when we might be needed to stabilize a wobbly door.  By introducing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to others, by helping to anchor hinge-less doors to the God of heaven, we will be helping the hinge-less attach to the firm foundation of life.

A Webkinz I am not, but anyone can be a carpenter that works with the Savior. Now that is a door I can stay connected to – and with just a click of the mouse!  How convenient is that?

Marty Norman is a wife, mother, and grandmother of five, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas.  She is the author of “Generation G – Advice for Savvy Grandmothers Who Will Never Go Gray.” You can learn more about her at:   www.martynorman.com, http://martynorman.blogspot.com, http://savvygrandmothers.blogspot.com.