Shut That Door!

Shut That Door!


How many times did your parents say that to you? Now TV has the answer for us. Magic Mesh will keep out the bugs, let the sun in and let children and pets come in and out on their own. (Now, for a limited time, they will double your offer at no extra charge.) I admit that if I had a yard I would have one for my dog who is very insistent when he wants to go out, no matter what the time. Here's the thing, though. Doors can be good. They can keep out unwanted pests and unwanted people. They can keep things safe that are important to us. They can keep cold or heat out.
A bigger problem is that sometimes we have Magic Mesh in our minds and our spirits. Things from our past can come bursting through. The two things that I have the most trouble with are resentments and regrets. Even if it is something that I have forgiven someone for, the emotions have not gone. If I am not careful when something reminds me of an instance and the feelings flare up, I can start to rehearse the situation and the resentment comes crashing through my Magic Mesh. Regrets  and guilt are common "mesh crashers".  Whether I am reminded of things that I messed up on by a song, a picture or somebody on Facebook who did it right, it is an opportunity for the enemy, the accuser of the brethren, to come in and remind of things that I did wrong. It might not be a sin. It might be a time that I messed up on a job or made third alternate on a team or disappointed my dad, my husband our my children. If I don't shut the door, he will replay the incident in vivid color. In many cases I can hear the whole lecture that I got. Even as I write this I can hear pieces or reprimands and have to resist getting sucked in.


Fortunately, God knows our hearts. Psalm 103: 14 tells us "For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." He has a solution. Better than that, He is the solution. Here is a beautiful verse.  "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more(Isaiah 43:25)


 I had not noticed before that it says he does this for  His own sake. I have often felt like I had to beg God for forgiveness or make deals or promises. Not true.
That takes care of sins. When it comes to regrets, this is what he has to say.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  We also read in Isaiah 43:18-19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Will you join me this week in trying to shut the doors in our minds? Magic Mesh is good for sliding doors, patios and trailers, but not for our minds and hearts.