Dutch Doors

This afternoon I was reading history to my two older kids. We were learning about the Pennsylvania Dutch (who weren’t Dutch by the way, the were Deutch) and reading about the architecture. One of the features often found in their homes was a Dutch door that opened on the top and on the bottom.

I was immediately transported to my childhood! My grandparents (true Hollanders!) had a Dutch door in their house. We grew up living on the same farm as my grandparents and I have very distinct memories of my grandmother keeping the bottom half of the door locked and looking down at us from the top half. We’d stand on our tippy-toes and try to pull ourselves up by our fingertips on the bottom half of the door, to see what she might be doing on the “inside.” If we were lucky she would invite us in, but sometimes she would just hand a lemon drop or a cookie over the locked door and send us back out to play.

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me” Revelation 3:20. I long to always throw open the door and run into His embrace! However, if I am being honest, sometimes I only open the half door on the top. I peek out and see what He has to offer. If I can’t get a clear picture, I opt for self-reliance and shut the door. Other times I open only the bottom half and leave the top locked. Ah, to entire this type of door you have to follow the criteria I have established…namely, ducking. I’m not suggesting that Jesus has to duck, but I am admitting that at times I don’t give Him clear access to my heart, my mind, and my soul; I only give Him a narrow opening with obstacles in place.

While I have sweet memories of Dutch doors, I’m thankful I don’t have one in my house now. I don’t want to give Him limited access, I want to swing open the door when I hear Jesus knocking on my heart.