deenabouknight | Christian Devotions | Daily Bible Devotions | 501c3

…a time to be silent and a time to speak…Ecclesiastes 3:7

Whether you are a believer or a non-believer, entering through church doors is a religious experience. The church can be a small, quaint structure or a massive architectural wonder – no matter. There is a respect and awe that occurs when one opens those doors and steps inside. Our voices lower, we step lightly, we pause.

The sign on the door of All Saints Episcopal in Linville, N.C., says it best: “Enter this door as if the floor within were gold, and every wall of jewels all of wealth untold. As if a choir in notes of fire were singing here. Nor shout, nor rush, but hush – God is here.”

Each time I have stepped over the threshold into another sanctuary, I am enveloped by the holiness of the space. It happened when I visited a simple chapel near Franklin, N.C., with peeling paint and a wood stove for heat. It happened when I entered a beautifully decorated church in Blowing Rock, N.C., with a six-foot painting of Mary and Jesus. You expect the feeling when you enter your own church on Sunday morning – or in a great European cathedral. You don’t expect it in a church whose only adornment is a paint-by-number of the Last Supper.

But His presence is there. And it’s enough to restore faith or build faith – whatever the case may be. You wonder as you quietly tug on the massive iron door, or the wood frame door, or the stained glass door: How many have worshiped here, cried over lost loved ones, or prayed for miracles?

Consider that at some point during the week, thousands – hundreds of thousands – of Americans are entering through church doors. They seek to know Him better while in the confines of the four walls, and they return the next week seeking to know Him even better still.

The chaos of our lives, the wars abroad, and the endless worries are silenced momentarily inside of a church. These houses of worship are truly refuges, sanctuaries for the people who open their doors.

I opened a lot of church doors and found the heart of Christ. Take time to open the doors…the doors to your heart, to your church, and to your Father.

Be thoughtful, be silent, be reverent – for this is the house of God.

Deena C. Bouknight lived in the Western North Carolina Mountains for close to 10 years. She now resides in Columbia, S.C. with her husband and two adopted children. Deena has been a freelancer for regional, national, and international magazines and books for 25 years. Reach Deena by emailing dknight865@aol.com or by visiting her blog at http://writinglifeofdeenabouknight.blogspot.com or www.deenabouknight.webs.com.
Read Deena’s devotions.

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalms 139:15-16

Unexpectedly, a woman who has been a thorn in my side for several years, approached me with a gift—a book titled, When Only God Sees. I was astonished with her gesture since she has complained about my teaching style and the style of other teachers as well. She handed me the book and said she wanted me to know “He sees” and that she really does appreciate what I do. This gesture of kindness spoke volumes about what she thought of me as a teacher. It humbled me regarding my attitude toward her.

When Only God Sees is the story of a woman who feels like no one can see her efforts as a wife and mother. She feels ignored and unappreciated. A friend who returns from Europe, gives her a book about cathedrals. She is irritated at first, thinking her friend should realize it will make her long for far away places. When she begins reading it, she learns that most of the cathedral builders were never known, nor did they live to see their cathedrals completed.

There is a story of a monk who carves an intricate bird into a beam he knows will be hidden behind the walls. When someone asks him why he spent so much time on something no one would see, he answers, “God sees.”

God sees everything we are doing – no matter what time of day or night. He hears what we say during the course of the day and how we love our children and spouses. He sees our struggles and triumphs. We’re building cathedrals here on earth in the work we do and the families we raise, and that’s storing up even greater treasures in heaven. We’ll probably never see our earthly cathedrals finished, but what we do now makes a difference. And He sees.

Remember that in whatever we do, we are to do the best we can for His glory. Live transparently, because He sees.

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Open Doors – Deena C. Bouknight

When Only God Sees – Deena Bouknight

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