Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
By Eric Hentnik
Open doors. Seems like God wants to use them in our lives. And it appears they can present themselves in all sorts of situations. Maybe an opportunity we should capitalize on, a way we could reach out to someone, or perhaps even allowing someone to bless us. All of these involve open doors of one type or another. Sometimes, a single story can include all of these, and more.
Consider Crystal’s story of how a loving and faithful God made use of some open doors. Raised on the sunny California coast, the carefree beach lifestyle reached out to her at a young age. Before she knew it, she was a teenager dropping out of high school and experiencing the good, not so good, and occasionally, the ugly, that often comes with that life. Eventually, Crystal married a wonderful man named Dan and had three children that she would love for the rest of their lives. Through God’s providence, Crystal had a dear friend named Traci. Traci came to faith in Christ and shared the priceless good news of the gospel with her friend Crystal, who also called on the name of the Lord for forgiveness of her sins and experienced joy in Christ. She and Dan enjoyed providing an open door to all sorts of people who needed a hand, as they welcomed people into their lives as family. Sadly, Dan was taken from her by cancer at too young an age.
Crystal’s life went on with some good times, but with the passing of her husband, deep challenges came her way as well. Sometimes, due to naïve choices, and at other times, “life” happening, Crystal experienced some dark and hopeless times. At times she felt like the Lord had abandoned her, but perhaps it was actually that she didn’t want to surrender to Him.
Eventually, Crystal’s situation left her out of decent options: angry, frustrated, broken, and in total despair. She was offered an opportunity to come to Meridian, Idaho. And sometimes, an open door is, well… a literal open door; like the one on the bus that wasn’t supposed to let her on without her identification, which had just been stolen with all her luggage as she tried to leave California. Praise God for literal open doors!
Sadly, her plans in Idaho did not go as Crystal had anticipated. She found herself with meager resources and no readily available opportunities. Even worse, it was winter, and life without a coat is not pleasant at 16 degrees, which was the low for that January night in Meridian. Crystal found herself walking down Fairview Avenue when she noticed a bright blue and white sign that said, “Westside Bible Church”. A church; maybe someone there could help? She knocked on what turned out to be an open door straight from the Lord. A friendly lady named Nancy “just happened to be there” doing some decorating. Could Nancy possibly help at all? Well, Nancy’s decades on the mission field had prepared her to tackle whatever came her way. A coat? Well, look, there’s one hanging right here that should fit you pretty good. (Never did figure out who that coat actually belonged to…)
But Nancy didn’t stop there. She was able to get Crystal in touch with one of the pastors, Eric, and his wife, Jennifer. They took Crystal out to dinner to get to know her better and discern what “doors” they might help her open. They heard a little of Crystal’s story. Here is some of their own:
Eric and Jennifer had helped plant a church in Las Vegas, served there for a few years, and had reached out to people in tough spots before. They had also travelled the country during Eric’s military career and had bumped into many people in rough situations. But how do you know when you are supposed to step in? How exactly do you help? When should you show caution? What are you even equipped to do? When is God perhaps tapping you on the shoulder to be His open door?
Those are just some of the questions Eric and Jennifer struggled with. After trying to quickly read a woman they had just met, talking between themselves, and fervently seeking God’s wisdom, they asked Crystal if she would like to stay in their home with them for a while. It seemed to them that the Lord wanted to present an open door to Crystal. They didn’t have a large home, but they did have a small guest bedroom. It was definitely not high living, but it seemed far better than her other options.
Crystal chose to take them up on their offer. Funny thing about open doors… sometimes the door is actually in the heart of the receiver. Crystal could have turned down the offer and kept her heart closed. She’d been hurt plenty of times before. In pride or fear, she could have turned the couple down and just “toughed it out” like she had so many times before. But perhaps God is looking for humility on our part. Maybe we need to drop our pride and crack that door to our deeper parts so we can better experience God’s grace and blessing. Perhaps that’s a good principle for some of us to ponder.
Interestingly, what started out as a “soft place to land for a while” has turned into a wonderful two-year stay. Crystal has become like a sister to Jennifer and Eric, whose families are far away. She has walked through other open doors to find full-time employment, sometimes working three jobs at a time. More importantly, she has grown in her gratitude, joy, and appreciation for the priceless truths taught in God’s Word. And at various times of the week, you can find Crystal walking through the open door of Westside Bible Church to make sure there’s plenty of hot coffee to help promote a lively discussion in Sunday School. She wants to help maintain that open door so others can experience the healing she herself received in various ways through the love of The Body of Christ.
God has given Crystal a heart to want to give back. She realizes He has blessed her and she wants Him to bless others through her. She has long had a dream of operating a food truck business. She owned and ran a restaurant years ago and loved various parts of that. Over the last few months, the Lord has provided the open door Crystal has longed for, and she has completed all the steps to make good on her business dream. She plans to operate her food truck, “Ma’s Craveable Connections”, (Crystal’s grandson Christopher loves to call her Ma!) in the parking lot of Westside Bible Church at various times throughout the week, as well as doing special events and catering.
Part of her business’s mission statement reads, “Ma’s Craveable Connections exists to bring glory to God, encourage healthy relationships, and provide truly craveable foods!” Helped by Jennifer and Eric, Crystal hopes to put smiles on faces as she brings truly craveable creations to the Treasure Valley. She wants to share a taste of each of their roots: barbeque and banana pudding from Jennifer’s Texas home, Philly cheese steaks and Boston crème cheesecake from Eric’s northeast roots, and Crystal whirling her spatula creating something special for everyone. Most importantly, they deeply desire God’s open doors as they offer prayer and the forgiveness of Jesus to people they meet through their business.
God apparently enjoys the Open Door metaphor. In the book of John, Jesus declares, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…” Jesus isn’t made of wood and doesn’t have hinges, but He is the only door to eternal life. He stated, “No one comes to the Father but through me.” Have you walked through God’s gracious open door? Have you humbly and sincerely confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? He offers love, life, forgiveness, freedom, and His amazing grace to whosoever will come.
And if you have already put your faith in Christ for eternal life, are you looking for God’s open doors around you? How about seeking opportunities to share the gospel with the people He brings your way? Are you asking The Holy Spirit to work through you to provide an open door for someone in need? It sure seems like God wants to use open doors in our lives and it’s an impactful way to honor Him and further His Kingdom.
Note: Eric Hentnik is one of the pastors at Westside Bible Church. He and his wife Jennifer opened their door to Crystal and helped her get her feet back on the ground. Eric is the author of this article and knows from personal experience what it means to be an open door.
