An Open Door

An Open Door
By Darlene Hight

Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.
~ Emily Dickenson ~


I love 'drop in' friends! Nothing is better than swinging open the door and finding a friend standing there. When my children were young, I had one friend who would pop over for coffee and we would end up spending all day together. While our children played in the yard, we whiled away the hours laughing and talking.

I can't always remember when or where these friendships started but I know that it always involved opening a door, a door to friendship. One friend started as my next door neighbor. We often dropped in on each other. We have remained friends for many years. Her children are grown, as are mine, and we walked those years together as friends. She is as close to me as a sister. It is a delight to pick up the phone and find her on the other end. I love her voice. I enjoy sharing my day with her and hearing about her day. I am eager to hear about the things God is doing in her life and I know that she gets excited about what God is doing in mine. Many times, I have called her and the first words that I hear are, "How did you know that I needed you to call?" or I have said the same thing to her when she called.

Yet as much as I enjoy hearing my friend at the other end of the phone line and as comforting as I find her voice, there is another friend who is closer still. There is a friend who breathes life into me. Not only does his voice comfort me; he knows my words, my concerns, my fears, and my joy before I speak them. He has seen my secret tears. He has held me as I cried them into his breast. He knows my hopes and dreams because he carefully chose them and placed them into my heart. When our relationship grows cold, it is due to my stubbornness and neglect. Yet, he never gets angry with me. He never holds a grudge. He, always, welcomes me back into the safety of his embrace. This friend is life to me. His name is Jesus.

I don't mind sharing my friend. Because, I know that his love is big enough for me and it is big enough for you. He never chooses a best friend. We are each 'Best.' He is easy to know. He stands at the door of every heart waiting to be invited in. He would never come in uninvited. He is the best friend that you could ever have and he wants to be your friend.

If I could do but one thing right in life, it would be to be a friend like Jesus and to share him with everyone that I meet. He is better than any best friend who ever dropped in and I am so glad that I opened the door.

Proverbs 18:24 NIV: A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. [Jesus]

John 4:29 NIV: "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" [Messiah]

Darlene Hight

Darlene is a writer who travels with her husband,Mark across rural United States as he builds power plants.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com CHRISTIAN WRITERS