Doors of Kathmandu, Nepal
- Janice M Mathis
- Feb 9, 2018
- 3 min read
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matt 7:7
Blue, green, yellow, brightly colored doors are a common sight around Kathmandu, Nepal. I loved seeing the colors, such a contrast to the dusty, muddy streets that run through the town. I do not know the history or story behind the colored doors, but to me, they added brightness and fun to my journey. In their simplicity, doors hold significance in our daily lives. What a joy to open the door and invite friends and loved ones in to our homes. How about showing kindness to a stranger by holding open a door. However, we also use common phrases such as, open doors, referring to new opportunities or equally popular, closed doors, representing the end of something. I know I have faced both open and closed doors in my life journey. I firmly believe God is sovereign and his love and mercy guides us. He opens and closes doors to lead us to him. The following verses give us a glimpse of how God desires to open the right doors for us.
In Luke 11:9-10 we are told to Ask, Seek, Knock: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
This same command is repeated in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
I believe, both, scriptures are calling us to prayer, bold and persistent prayer. I know in my own life, prayer and studying scripture is how I truly come to know God and see His goodness.
Many times, when we are faced with closed doors, it is an opportunity for us to trust God. Trust His timing. Trust that he has something better for us. In Jeremiah 29:11 it tells us, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Perhaps the closed door is not according to God’s will for our life, perhaps there is a lesson in obedience he is trying to teach us. But through faith we know he desires to bless us.
He will open doors for us. Doors that align with his will, doors that grow our faith, doors that teach us to trust him, doors that will bring us in to His Kingdom.
I remember a time when God opened a door for me to start a creative ministry team at church. My initial response to God was, oh No! Not Me, what do I know about puppets, drama or anything creative for that matter? Well, I must tell you, God just wouldn’t let me say no. He kept putting it in my thoughts and in my prayers. I’d say he was persistent. Well that ministry has been one of my greatest blessings. Through that ministry my faith and trust in the Lord was strengthened. He used that door of opportunity to bless me more than I could have imagined. I led that ministry for almost 15 years and it is still one of my greatest joys. I recently moved, so I am no longer the director, but God has placed some amazing leaders on the team. God has now pressed upon me This Door, This Blog. Again, I ask God, who me? What do I know about writing? Again, he was persistent.
I hope you enjoy my pictures of doors and streets in Kathmandu. I also included a picture where I am pointing up. I am pointing at doors that were hung on the ceiling of a restaurant that was getting ready to open. I loved it. So, keep looking up and you will see the door! There also is another picture of animals, this too is typical on the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal. I give God thanks and glory for the open door of traveling to Nepal.
Oh, and don’t forget that “Jesus is the Key” for all your doors!
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