“When the Lord closes a door, He always opens a window somewhere.” This familiar phrase from the movie The Sound of Music is also the running theme throughout the novel “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria von Trapp. The von Trapp’s, whose fame skyrocketed with the release of the motion picture, were a gifted musical family whose courage and faith carried them through the brutal storms of life. Maria possessed a deep love for God as was evidenced by her own faith, trust, and perseverance in the face of tribulation.
We all endure suffering, some more than others. It may seem that every door we attempt to enter is slammed in our face. Severed friendships, professional failure, financial loss, serious illness, and the romantic relationships that die on the vine can cause us to lose hope. Sometimes we feel like a deflated punching bag. But our faith tells us to trust in God. Thus we patiently wait, and wait and wait. In our frustration we call out to God and ask, “Lord when are you going to open a window?” then His answer comes to us, “My child, I tried but your windows are locked.” When we feel that the straw has finally broken the camel’s back, we unintentionally throw up a force field to protect ourselves from further pain. However in so doing, we block out Our Lord who tries to shower us with His grace. At times all we need do is “unlock our windows”, and He will enter. However in other situations, Gods asks us to actually open the window and “stick our neck out.” He wants us to take that giant leap of faith, of course with prudence, trusting that He will be there to catch us if we should fall.
Risk taking is something we would just as soon avoid, for we all want to be certain that our next attempt at love, friendship, employment, or some personal undertaking will be successful. However, we all know that we may have to undergo many failures before we achieve success. If we don’t take the risks, we may never know what blessings await us on the other side. When we reflect on past mistakes and sufferings, it is understandable that we may be reluctant to take that step forward. However we need to muster up our courage and confidence and begin again. We ought to possess a compelling desire to achieve our goals but not like the vulture that takes his prey by force, but rather like the butterfly that attracts others’ with its beauty, grace and endearing persistence.
With supernatural optimism, confidence in our God given abilities, courage, and constancy, we will find that window of opportunity. If the window is not open, we will simply have to open it. Life on the other side may have its share of joys and sorrows but Our Lord will be with us cheering us on and guiding our way. He will never let us down, for even if He allows us to fall into the pit, He will reach out His hand and lead us out of darkness and into light.
