When One Door Closes

I recently told a lady whose husband had left her for another woman, “When one door closes, another one opens.” I meant it.

Think back to all of those times things didn’t go the way you wanted them to go. Yeah, you! Aren’t you glad things didn’t turn out the way you planned? What if everything we desired happened the way we wanted it to? It would be misery. We’d never learn. We’d never be grateful. I firmly believe that when one door closes, another one opens for everyone. It might not happen when, how, where we want it to, but it does.

Here, let me share a couple I remember.

I’m thinking back to 8th grade (1983) when I tried out for a local girls’ dance team (what was I thinking, Miss Klutz???) and went into the splits with the wrong leg forward, tearing the muscles in the back of my leg, and blowing the tryout. Ouch! That one took a while to recover from, but later on I was grateful I didn’t make it. Their costumes were tacky and I would have missed out on fun with my family and friends while practicing 3 afternoons a week.

Or how about applying for an MBA @ BYU Business School? I tanked on that one. I was about 26 and working at Covey Leadership Center in Provo, UT. An MBA seemed like the perfect fit for me. They didn’t even consider me, even though I was working for a company willing to give me experience and I had potential in that field. Now that I’m a teacher finishing a Masters in Teaching, I can’t believe I even considered an MBA. Was I nuts? Business is so boring! I always skip that section in the newspaper. I’d rather read juicy entertainment gossip or catch up on what’s happening in Vegas. I love teaching, not the details of business or sales or HR nightmares. I’d rather deal with punky 12 year olds and poetry any day of the week!

Last, but not least, my 1st marriage. Yeah, that was a pretty big door that shut. I was devastated. I had moments where I didn’t see anything besides that shut door. Then Heavenly Father had 2 former ward members (Carolyn and Terresa) bump into each other and catch up about life, compare notes on their families, and realize that one had a brother who was divorced and the other had a sister who was recently divorced. Hmmmmm . . . getting the picture here? My sister Terresa, the matchmaker, couldn’t help herself. She saw a door opening for me and bugged me about it until I said I’d call the guy. So I did.

Seeing that open door was scary, but choosing to walk through that door to Steve was the best choice I’ve made in years. He’s everything I hoped for in a friend and husband. It’s an example of “one door opening when another closes” for me. I am so grateful for Heavenly Father’s wisdom and foresight in my life. (And my sister’s tenacity!)

So next time that job interview doesn’t go so well, or you find out you’re pregnant just when you thought it was safe to give away all of the baby stuff, don’t fret. Let that door shut on what you’d planned and look for that new, open door. You never know where it might lead.