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Your Life through the Keyhole

Have you ever seen a really old door on a house or stone wall with the thick iron hardware that creeks every time it opens? Back in the day, big heavy doors stood as formidable barriers that couldn’t be breached by force. Yet many of these doors were no match for prying eyes. The huge iron keys required to unlock the latches were so wide that you could actually put your eye up to the keyhole and look through to the other side.

Nowadays we have small metal slits for slender keys, and sometimes only touch pads, so we can’t peer through keyholes to catch a glimpse of something beyond. But imagine walking up to a castle wall and looking through one of those big iron keyholes into a secret garden or a magical hidden world. What might you see?

Now what if I told you that this keyhole view is how we view our life each day?

It’s as if we’re looking at ourselves, other people, and our circumstances through a tiny window. We can see clearly, but our vantage is severely limited. We can’t see what’s happening to the left or the right. We can’t see what’s happening up above or below. We can’t see anything happening behind the scenes. There’s so much going on outside our view that we’ll never truly comprehend everything about anything.

It suddenly makes me feel very small and uninformed about my life.

Thankfully, all of us can turn to someone who sees and knows everything beyond our keyhole view. God. Elohim the Creator. Yahweh the covenant-keeper. The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He created time and lives outside of it. He looks down upon the past, present, and future and sees it all at once.

God transcends our keyhole view and has a complete perspective of our entire life.

And praise the Lord, one of His greatest joys is to lovingly shepherd us through every season. Day by day, Jesus offers His hand as He calls, “Come, follow Me.” Through sun-filled days on the highest mountain peaks. Through the darkest hours in seemingly endless valleys. Jesus sees all and navigates accordingly.

Jesus. The Master Strategist who orchestrates life. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing catches Him off guard. He never takes a coffee break. His love never fails and His mercies renew every morning. Jesus knows every detail about you and your life, including every detail about everyone who will ever touch your life in any way. And He watches over you every second of every day, ready to cover you with His mighty wings.

We may be skeptical at times. We may have doubts about how much God loves us or what He’s willing to do for us. But we see the proof in what He’s already done: He died to bury our sins once and for all; and He rose again to offer us new life in Him. Life everlasting!   

“We walk by faith, not by sight.”2 Corinthians 5:7

We may not know what tomorrow brings. But we can know who will be protecting, providing for, and walking with us on the journey. Jesus. We don’t have to worry about having a limited view as we peer through our keyhole. Jesus––our almighty God––sees everything. He alone holds the ultimate power to prevail in every situation. And He has prepared the way for us beyond what we can see. Turn to the One who leads the way!

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scoring its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:2–3

In what ways do you strain to see through the keyhole of your life? How might Jesus be inviting you to turn to Him for hope and the way forward?

Dr. Joy Dahl is a Jesus girl transformed by God’s grace. Through many trials she has learned to rise above the depths of real life by holding fast to truth and hope. Today Joy passionately helps believers embrace their calling as Christ’s ambassadors in the world. As a CPA and a Chief Financial Officer by trade, Joy has focused most of her career on start-up and high-growth companies in Washington DC, New York, and Texas. Joy earned three degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary: Master of Christian Education, Master of Biblical Studies, and Doctor of Ministry. Joy is the visionary behind the BOLDLY Conference (www.boldlyconference.com)––the first-of-it’s kind Faith + Work for Women Conference. Integration of faith and work remains the foundation and emphasis of her work and teaching. Joy and her husband, Gordon, call Dallas home. Joy’s favorite things include: God’s Word, international travel, dark chocolate, horses, flowers, beach getaways, running, big dogs, and adventure!