AnswerThe Door

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ne of the busiest rooms in our home was the front hallway.  From this small room opened doors into two bedrooms, a bathroom, our living room, and the kitchen.  It was impossible to visit the front of our home without traversing the hallway.

 As a boy, I spent several hours there playing with cars, putting puzzles together, and listening to the small stereo we kept on one wall.  The access to the attic was also in this small room, so visiting the upstairs always proved quite a challenge and an adventure.

One of my favorite features of our hallway, however, was the doorbell.  The chimes for the doorbell hung in the hallway and when someone visited us, the hallway would reverberate with the sound of the ringing chimes, sending out notice to the entire house that someone was at the front door.  The chimes were made of brass and hung on the wall adjoining the kitchen.  One of the chimes was longer than the other, giving off the lower of doorbell’s two distinct notes.

During Christmas time, my mom and dad would entertain, having guests in for an informal drop-in party.  As you can imagine, the hallway was a bevy of activity as people poured through to get in while others were trying to get out.  These groups met in the hallway and while they greeted one another, traffic came to a halt.  Just about that time, the doorbell would ring again and someone would call out, “Answer the door!”

When the doorbell rang, the house reverberated at its very center, announcing to all those inside that a new visitor had arrived.  Later, when all was quiet, I relived the moments in that hallway.  I could close my eyes and see the faces of friends and family and I could hear their voices still echoing in that small enclosure.  In fact, I can still do that at this very instant.

The book of Revelation contains one of the most beautiful images of Jesus visiting a home.  This home, however, is the human heart and the place of residence is inside a person, someone like you or me. 

Jesus approaches the door and gently knocks on it.  There is no answer so he knocks again, this time a little louder.  He wants to gain entrance, to spend time with the owner, to sit down and talk, to eat, and to enjoy his company. Notice is words in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

When Jesus knocks upon the heart, a person’s whole being resonates with the sound of his knocking.   He knocks on the heart because it is the very center of our being.  He knows that a man’s heart is the true indicator of who he is.  He knows that the heart is the most important room of the house, connecting all the other rooms together.  He knows that every thought, every motivation, every need, and every desire pass through the heart.  Jesus also knows that the access to stored memories, feelings, and experiences, both good and bad, pass through the heart as well.

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n the inside, we are constantly entertaining.  We entertain ideas, desires, thoughts, and dreams.  He so wants to be a part of who we are.  He wants to come in and show us how to live, how to please God, and what it is like to have a true relationship with our heavenly father.  He will not force his way in.  Instead, he is waiting for someone to answer the door, to welcome him, to greet him, to invite him inside to stay.  Won’t you do this today?  What was that?  I think it was the doorbell!  Won’t you answer the door today?