I am a door pusher.
There. I said it.
When I believe something needs to happen, my natural response is to start figuring out how to make it happen.
If the first door doesn't open, I'll look for another door.
If there isn't another door, I'll probably start looking for a window.
And if somebody tells me it can't be done...
Well, that usually makes me even more determined to figure it out.
Determination has served me well throughout my life, and I don't ever want to lose it.
But I'm learning something else.
Faith doesn't always mean pushing harder.
Sometimes faith means standing in front of a closed door and trusting that if God wants it opened, He is perfectly capable of opening it without me breaking it down.
Robin Sharma writes in The Everyday Hero Manifesto about courage, persistence, and doing difficult things. Those qualities matter tremendously.
But I think wisdom is knowing when courage means moving forward...
and when courage means waiting.
Not Every Closed Door Means No
I used to think there were basically two choices.
Either something worked...
or it didn't.
I'm beginning to see another possibility.
Not yet.
Sometimes the idea is right, but the timing isn't.
Sometimes the opportunity is right, but the people aren't in place.
Sometimes we're ready to move forward, but something else needs our attention first.
And sometimes we're simply not as ready as we think we are.
That's a hard one for me.
Because once I can see the destination, I want to start moving toward it.
I don't particularly enjoy waiting for all the pieces to fall into place.
I'd rather go find the pieces.
But God sees things I can't see.
He knows what's around the corner.
He knows the people I haven't met yet.
He knows what I'm going to need six months from now that I don't even know to ask for today.
That's where faith comes in.
There Is a Difference Between Persistence and Forcing
This can be difficult to recognize—especially for those of us who are pretty good at figuring things out.
Persistence says:
"This is hard, but I'm going to keep doing the work."
Forcing says:
"This has to happen the way I planned, and I'm going to make it happen."
I've probably done a little of both in my lifetime.
Okay...
Maybe more than a little.
So I'm learning to ask myself some different questions.
Am I working hard because this is where I'm supposed to be?
Or am I working harder and harder because I'm trying to make something happen before its time?
Am I being persistent?
Or am I simply refusing to let go of my own plan?
And here's an even harder question:
Am I carrying something God never asked me to carry?
Those aren't always easy questions to answer.
Sometimes we have to get quiet long enough to pray, listen, and pay attention.
Peace Doesn't Mean the Problems Disappear
Have you ever finally made a difficult decision and felt an almost immediate sense of relief?
I have.
Sometimes we're carrying something because we think we're supposed to.
We keep trying to make all the pieces fit.
We keep telling ourselves:
"I can figure this out."
"I can make this work."
"I just need to try one more thing."
And sometimes we can.
But sometimes we finally say:
"I'm going to set this down for now."
And suddenly...
Peace.
I'm experiencing some of that in my own life right now.
I recently made a decision to set something aside for a season. It wasn't an easy decision because it involved something I care deeply about and still believe in.
But when I finally made the decision, I felt a weight come off my shoulders.
Did all my other problems disappear?
Oh, goodness, no.
Life made sure of that almost immediately!
There were still people problems.
Work problems.
Deadlines.
Projects.
Things that needed fixing.
And probably three more ideas floating around in my head that somebody needed to stop me from starting.
My life didn't suddenly become peaceful.
But that particular burden was gone.
And I think there's a lesson in that.
Peace doesn't always mean the storm stopped.
Sometimes peace means you finally put down something you weren't supposed to be carrying right now.
Giving Something to God Isn't Giving Up
I think this is where we sometimes get confused.
If we're determined people, setting something down can feel like quitting.
But there's a big difference between giving up on a dream and giving the dream back to God.
Giving up says:
"It will never happen."
Faith says:
"I still believe in this. I just don't have to control when or how it happens."
That's difficult.
Especially when you're someone who likes to make things happen.
But I'm beginning to understand that sometimes the most faithful thing I can do is prepare for what's ahead without trying to force it to happen today.
God doesn't need me to manipulate every circumstance.
He doesn't need me to have every answer.
And He certainly doesn't need me to do His job for Him.
Your Challenge for the Week
| Focus | What to Do | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Look at What You're Carrying | Identify something that has been consuming a lot of your energy or attention. | Not every burden is yours to carry. |
| Loosen Your Grip | Pray, “God, if this is Your plan, show me the next step. If it isn't time, help me wait.” | Moves the focus from control to trust. |
| Pay Attention to Peace | Notice what happens when you stop trying to control every detail. | Sometimes clarity comes when we're still enough to recognize it. |
Faith isn't doing nothing.
Faith is doing what you can...
and trusting God with what you can't.
A Lesson I'm Still Learning
You'll notice I didn't call this section “A Lesson I've Learned.”
I called it:
“A Lesson I'm Still Learning.”
Because I am.
I see possibilities.
I see what something could become.
And usually, somewhere in my head, I'm already ten steps ahead figuring out how to get there.
That can be a gift.
It can also make waiting very difficult.
I'm learning that I don't have to make every good idea happen right now.
I don't have to solve every problem today.
And I don't have to carry every problem simply because I know how to solve it.
There are things in my life right now that I believe will happen.
I don't know exactly when.
I don't know exactly how.
And I don't have all the pieces I need yet.
My natural response is to go find the pieces.
I'm trying something different.
I'm preparing.
I'm paying attention.
I'm doing the work that's mine to do.
I'm praying.
And I'm trusting God with the rest.
I'll let you know how that goes.
Persistence Is Wonderful—When We're Persistent About the Right Things
There's one more part of this lesson that's important to me because I learned it the hard way.
There was a time in my life when I applied persistence to relationships too.
I thought:
"If I just act a little better..."
"If I do this differently..."
"Maybe he'll be nicer to me."
That's not perseverance.
And that's certainly not what I mean when I talk about continuing to show up.
Sometimes the courageous thing isn't trying harder.
Sometimes it's recognizing that something is unhealthy and walking away.
I've learned that persistence is a wonderful quality...
but only when we're persistent about the right things.
That's true of relationships.
It's true of business.
It's true of dreams.
And it's true of life.
Sometimes you keep pushing.
Sometimes you change direction.
Sometimes you wait.
And sometimes you walk away.
Wisdom is learning the difference.
Final Thought
Maybe you're carrying something today that feels incredibly heavy.
Before you automatically tell yourself to work harder, try harder, or hold on tighter, ask yourself:
“Is this actually mine to carry right now?”
Pray about it.
Pay attention.
Keep doing the work God has placed in front of you.
But don't confuse faith with control.
You don't have to kick down every closed door.
Sometimes you knock.
Sometimes you wait.
Sometimes you walk away.
And sometimes God opens a door you weren't even looking at.
I'm learning that I don't have to know which one it will be before I get there.
I just have to trust Him enough to take the next right step.
And if He tells me to put something down...
I need enough faith to do that too.
Peace doesn't always mean the storm has stopped. Sometimes it means you've finally put down a burden that wasn't yours to carry.
And maybe that's exactly what someone needs to do this week.
References
- Sharma, Robin. The Everyday Hero Manifesto. HarperCollins, 2021.
- Proverbs 3:5–6.
- Proverbs 16:9.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1.
- Psalm 46:10.
- Matthew 11:28–30.
Remember... life isn't changed by one big decision. It's changed by the little decisions we make every day. Today's small choices become tomorrow's legacy. So choose wisely, love deeply, keep learning, and keep growing. Until next Monday, have a wonderful week... and keep building your legacy, one small choice at a time.