Open Window

"When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window."
--Maria Von Trapp (The Sound of Music)

One of God's wonders is the paradox of gain through loss. In scripture readings over the past few weeks, we have heard about the gains possible from voluntary losses. Give up your possessions and other worldly attachments, He says, and join Him in the Afterlife.

But we also experience loss in involuntary, often tragic, ways. Theft or catastrophic loss of property, severe illness, death of a loved one. In light of such events, we are often prone to question God's existence or His affection for us. After all, what kind of deity would let such bad things happen to good people?

It is likely, of course, that we will never completely understand His intent. However, it is possible to anticipate, as Maria suggests above, that God creates conditions for positive outcomes from seemingly very negative events.

For me, one of those situations unfolded twelve years ago today. September 11, 2001 was one of the worst days of my life. Like others, I still have trouble processing what unfolded that day, and I struggle to suppress rage when viewing footage or thinking back to that time.

But 9-11 was also a significant turning point for me. I began asking questions that I had never pondered before. Today, my hunger for truth has never been stronger.

Perhaps this quest would have occurred anyway given the subsequent train of events. At the very least, however, my departure would have been delayed.

On 9/11/01, the Lord opened a window for me.