The Door Is Closed

1 Corinthians 16:9 "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries."

For the past several seasons the Indianapolis Colts have been a shining example of a winning franchise. They had won over 10 games a season for a decade and went to two Super Bowls during that time. Peyton Manning was voted MVP of the League at least 3 times during that tenure and they won one of the Super Bowls they appeared in. They were never known as a great defensive team, but always seemed to be ahead in the game so the defense was adequate enough to hold off other teams offenses when they needed to. They had a door of opportunity opened during that time to win a lot more playoff games and even championships, but they let the chances slip by.

During the past few seasons I heard sportscaster after sportscaster say that the Colts door of opportunity could close very quickly with an injury here or there. Sure enough, with Peyton's injury this year we saw that happen. A team that had won 10 or more games per season for a decade became a doormat this year winning only two games. The offense was horrible and the defense was not much better. Now it appears the team will be dismantled and rebuilt. I think it's kind of sad to see it happen. All that will be left for this current team was we had our chances, our doors of opportunity to be champions more than once, and we somehow let it slip by.

As a 49er fan I remember the day Steve Young went down against Arizona with a concussion and how the rest of that year played out. Later, I watched the SF ownership dismantle a team that had a real shot at getting back to the top a few years because of the mess that Terrel Owens started and we cut a QB by the name of Jeff Garcia. I remember the great 49er teams of the past and the great Cowboy teams and how they almost always battled for the championship each year, but that door closed very quickly in the 90's when the stars of each team retired.

I know these are sports analogies, but the same goes for real life. Read in Ecclesiastes 3:1:

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..."

Think about all the seasons or windows of opportunities and losses that we go through in life. There are chances that we have to take if we are going to be winners, or they become missed opportunities that we can never regain. When the time is given to us and the door opening made available we must seize that moment. To refuse or disregard it could mean the difference between blessing and cursing not just in the short term, but for the long haul called life. 

Guess what-only you can make that decision for yourself. Nobody can make it for you. You decide whether you want to seize the moment or exhaust the opportunity. Verse 14 says,

"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him."

Don't let the door of opportunity close on you. If God has opened it, walk in an do what He desires. If not you will live a life of regret wondering what could have or might have been.

John 10:9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."