Have You Knocked At Every Door?

Have You Knocked At Every Door?

I’m reading Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Do you ever begin a book & realize you were destined to read it at just this time in life? That’s how Les Mis feels.

Yes, it’s a huge, thick book but I like those the best. It’s like meeting a new friend & having lots and lots of long talks. The right book can become a beautiful relationship & I already know just 1/4th of the way through Les Mis that this is going to be a life-long companion of mine.

The pages of this book have resonated with me tremendously over the past few weeks. Parts of my life feel out of control & I’ve begun to experience moments of hopelessness. I’m sure many of you have experienced hopelessness in some way, whether it be financially, relationally, or spiritually.

You know the verse, “knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7)? Well, it hasn’t seemed like that to me lately. I’ve been knocking & nothing has happened.

But then I read this passage in Les Mis; Jean Valjean (the protagonist) is homeless, an ex-convict, and has been turned away from every inn and public house in the  little town of Digne. He lays down on a bench outside of a church when an older woman comes out and asks about his story. He tells her there is no place for him in the whole town.

She asks:

The door she is referring to? The open, unlocked door of the old & faithful Bishop of Digne who welcomes him in, feeds him & gives Jean Valjean the first clean bed & set of sheets he has had in 19 years.

I began to realize from this passage that it’s not that the doors aren’t opening, it’s that I think I have been knocking in the wrong place.

More specifically (and personally), I’ve been seeking my own solutions to problems instead of turning to the Lord, asking him for direction & knocking on His door first before I waste my time at others.

I want to encourage you to not feel hopeless, to not feel as though you’ve knocked on every door because you haven’t, there’s always one more door and I want you to “knock there.”

P.s.   Most of you have probably heard of Les Misérables in the context of the stunning broadway musical. Well guess what? They’re making the musical into a film full of unbelievable casting & it’s coming out December 14th. I cannot wait!

Check out the trailer HERE (& maybe grab a few tissues!).