I slam doors. Man I’m a b*tch about it. But I do. There’s something about the gravity of a door slamming that really just defines, for me, anger. So…I slam doors.
Perhaps it’s not the best response to triggers such as stress or anger; nonetheless, it’s a very effective one. I mean, come on, people know you’re pissed when you slam the door. Think of that shoulder wince you do when it happens. Did you just reenact the face? Same. I’ve always felt like slamming doors was this angry thing we do to show outwardly how inwardly upset we are.
Then, I met someone with a different interpretation, and now there’s this hidden meaning in a slammed door for me. Not surprisingly, it was my passionate husband who changed that meaning by often saying, “Slam the door,” when referring to finishing something. Because “closing the door” is this thing you do that separates what is happening there relative to here. Now, it’s a common way we tell our family to finish up. Teenager at the table needs to finish homework: “Slam the door, Ori, come on you got this!”
Most recently, I feel confused. The entire world is in the upside down. If you’re a human being who currently breathes oxygen, I bet you too feel slightly confused with the world’s precipitation. I feel like it’s piling up at times. It began as a pandemic, then it slowly began to snowball with all kinds of other chaos in the world, just adding to its size and magnitude. And if you consume media to any degree, whether it’s news or not, you’re privy to all the different flavors of feelings. There’s a world full of different people, and they all have different opinions and ideas and thoughts.
Social media is the best example of the jambalaya of people the world has to offer. Spicy and fragrant. On one hand, you have someone at the forefront fighting for freedom and justice. Then, you scroll one person away from them to find a contradicting conspiracy theorist who questions motives and meanings behind it all. And again, I use the word “confused.” It feels confusing. Which side do you sit on?
The one thing you’re not supposed to do is panic, but I mean, how could you not?
It’s all confusing all the time. It’s like the ocean: a wave comes in and scoops you out, you get caught in its current, and it drags you deeper and deeper. The one thing you’re not supposed to do is panic, but I mean, how could you not? You’re drowning!
To feel confused is okay. To feel upset or concerned or bogged down or tired is okay. I’d rather you run the gamut of feelings than be dead inside like Dexter the serial killer. To not feel.
But no matter what side you sit on or what type of mask you wear or who you vote for on the ballot, you should know something that’s always constant and always there for you: Jesus loves you. And that’s very “Sunday school teacher” of me to say, and I’m fine with that. But I just need you to know that. Jesus doesn’t care who you vote for or what type of mask you wear or what side of the aisle you sit on, he just loves you. He carried a heavy burden for you and would gladly slam the door on salvation again if it meant you felt loved and seen and blessed.
The world is a crazy place, but it didn’t just get this way. It’s been like this. And crazier still…we watch. I saw a sign in someone’s yard and it said, “We can still pray.” Ain’t that the truth.
So if you’ve read this whole thing and wonder what is the point, it’s simply to let you know that I don’t care who you are, who you support, or who you vote for: I love you and I see you and I prayed for you. I pray for every person who reads this. Every heart that’s aching in confusion. Wandering around in a world that seems lost. Every soul that feels heavy and burdened by the state of their mind right now. I pray for you. I love you and I’m in your corner, like Rocky’s foul-mouthed coach cheering you on to keep punching.
Keep going. Keep fighting. It’s okay if you’re not okay all the time. It’s okay if you’re fighting a fight you don’t understand all the time. It’s okay, dear one. All is well. I love you, Jesus loves you.
Be Safe. Be Great. Be YOU!
Reality Changing Observations:
1. How are you? Are you happy?
2. What do you need to slam the door on in your life?
3. How can I pray for you?
