Short Story

"Behind Doors"
written by Avelyn

Knock knock.
I peered through the viewfinder and saw Jesus standing outside.
"Child, will you let me in?"
I scanned the roomful of clothes, shoes, bags, magazines and every other imaginable material comfort I'd purchased carelessly in the past few years.
A small voice was still trying to talk me out of letting my Savior in, putting up the last bit of resistance it could muster.
It took a few seconds of hesitation before I flung the room door wide open. Jesus came in,
"It's Yours now, Lord."

Knock knock.
Without looking, I knew who I was going to find standing outside the door.
"Child, will you let me in?"
This time, it was a room filled with hourglasses, each one representing the amount of time I'd wasted on an array of meaningless activities. I spotted online chatting, mindless surfing, trashy television shows and aimless bumming amongst them.
It seemed easier to open this door now that I'd let Jesus into the previous room.
"It's Yours too, Lord."

Knock knock.
I tried to shut out the sound of knocking by losing myself in the music playing from the speakers, the only object in the room.
It didn't work.
"Aww c'mon! This is such a trivial thing! Surely a bit of good non-Christian music wouldn't hurt?"
The excuse sounded even worse once I'd put it into words.
"Child, it matters to me. Besides, are you certain it's not hurting you?"
I got up from where I was sitting and crossed the room to open the door.
"This is Yours too, Jesus."

Knock knock.
Out went my personal reasons to dance, in came Jesus.
Knock knock.
Out went the hurt from broken relationships, in came Jesus.
Knock knock.
Out went my addiction to food, in came Jesus.
Knock knock.
Out went depression, in came Jesus.
Knock knock.
Out went the security of paper qualifications, in came Jesus.
Knock knock.
Knock knock.
Knock knock.
One by one, the rooms in my life got cleared out as I opened up more and more doors to let Jesus in.

Some opened quite easily; others were heavier and required more strength. A few had been tightly shut for so long the door was jammed on its hinges and refused to budge despite my greatest efforts.
"Lord, I can't open this one!"
"Child, you lack the strength."
"Please help me open it!"
"Are you sure you want me to?"
"Yes I'm sure! Please open it!"
At his touch, the door swung open. Jesus stepped through the doorway, seeming not to notice the state of disarray the room was in. It took awhile, but with my Savior's help, the room was eventually straightened out.
"Child, be careful what you let in."
I nodded silently, knowing how easy it would be for the room to fall back into its previous state if I let my guard down, even for a short while.

Knock knock.
I struggled with the handle and threw all my weight against the door to make it open. It didn't budge a single inch.
Knock knock.
"Lord, I can't get it to open!" A note of despair crept into my voice.
"This one's going to hurt," came the familiar voice from the other side of the door.
"I..." My voice faltered.
Slumping onto the floor in exhaustion, I started crying. The pain that gripped my heart was so severe I hadn't noticed that Jesus had opened the door and entered until I felt his arm around me.
"Come..."
I allowed myself to be led out of the room by my Savior.

Suddenly, I realised I was looking down one end of a corridor. On either side were scores of opened doors leading into rooms now marked by the presence of Jesus. Turning around, I saw more closed doors leading down to the other end of the corridor.
"How many more to go, Lord?"
Jesus smiled and pressed a bunch of keys into my hand. "Let's unlock those doors together."
I nodded; deep within me, bubbles of hope and joy were rising, meeting with the warm embrace and solid love of my Savior. Perhaps this is what they meant by "a new creation in Christ".

Peering down to the end of the corridor, I saw a door that looked vastly different from the rest. A warm, inviting glow emitted from behind it, and the moment I saw it, I knew in my heart it would lead to the place where I belong.
I searched through all the keys in my hand, but found that none of them were made to unlock the last door. Curiosity piqued, I turned around and found Jesus gazing into my questioning eyes.
"Lord, how can I unlock the last door?"
"You can't," came his reply. "Because I AM the key, and I will bring you through it."
With that, Jesus took my hand and together, we started down the corridor to the next door.