Closed Doors - by Tandy Balson

When I started my writing journey it seemed that all the right doors were opening for me. My small measure of success was enough to encourage me to keep on writing. My blog grew from 25 subscribers to 100. The few that were unknown to me were the most exciting.

A few pieces I submitted for publication were accepted and I felt I could legitimately call myself a writer.

Then things changed. Comments on my blog posts became non-existent. I started to doubt my calling. 

Rejection became more frequent than acceptance. On the outside I smiled and congratulated my colleagues on their success. Although I was happy for them I was also disappointed that success wasn’t smiling upon me. I wondered what had gone wrong.

It appeared that the doors I was knocking on were remaining firmly closed. Why was this happening? Was I focused on the wrong doors? Were there others I should try?

I gained some insight when I read All The Places to Go: How Will You Know by John Ortberg.  In it he talks about God placing doors before us. When they are open, it’s our choice to go through them or not. The doors that God closes cannot be forced open, no matter how hard we try. A line from the book that had great meaning for me was, “Someday, somehow, in a way none of us now can understand, we will be as grateful for the closed doors as we are for the open ones now.”

Perhaps the closed doors were there because I had more to learn before I would be ready to go through them. Maybe I was trying to do too much in my own strength rather than waiting for guidance from God.

All I know for sure is that the plan is not my own. My job is to be aware of the doors before me and learn from both the open and closed ones. I have faith that God will open the right doors for me as I walk closely with him and pay attention to his leading.

A Closed Door - Natasha Erskine

There is something very disconcerting about a closed door.

Whatever climate surrounds me, whether the sun shines bright or the world rests in shadows, whether the stars illuminate the night sky or darkness pervades the atmosphere of life, a closed door is what it is.

A closed door.

This feeling of being shut out, coming up against a wall that won't budge, can be generated by a missed opportunity, a death of some kind, a lost relationship, or a terminated job. The feeling can be triggered by something as simple as a dying plant. A sickness. Running out of gas.

In all instances, there is something we hoped for, something alive, something moving forward, that has ended, terminated, come to a halt… A closed door.

As a writer who longs for expression, for a sense of flow and inspiration, a closed door in any area of life has the potential to breed a season of silence. It can bring one's creative flow to a halt. It can stall the inspirational happenings of a spirit. It can cause us to question what we once thought to be true. Who we really are. What we truly believe.

And as a writer, we must engage in that silence. Be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). Allow the Holy Spirit to reaffirm what we have known to be true as we are tried and tested in the fire.

One of the most important facets of being a writer is cultivating a listening spirit. And in the face of a closed door, deep calls unto deep (Psalm 42:7). Spirit engages with Spirit. Questions lead us down that blood stained path of righteousness and faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you are facing a closed door, beloved child of God, than close your eyes. Listen. Listen in the stillness. Be wooed in the wilderness (Hosea 2). Be quiet in His Presence. And soon, words will yet flow…

Natasha Erskine


Natasha Erskine graduated from Kingswood University, where she met and married her husband, and they followed a call into full-time ministry. They served in ministry together, had two beautiful daughters, and a few months before their 9th anniversary, Natasha's husband died suddenly of unknown cause. Natasha continues to pursue God's call into full-time ministry, while grieving and raising her two children. As a writer and a worship leader, she seeks to exalt the name of God and be a vessel of truth and healing, while her own journey of healing is still being fulfilled.