Kickin In Doors

Let me tell you about a time I got it in my head that I was gonna kick a door open… even though God had it shut tighter than banjo string.

A few years back, me and a couple buddies planned a big quail hunt out in Oklahoma. Was going to be the first time I’d ever hunted out there, and I was fired up like a kid on pixie sticks. Reports said it was a “bumper year” for quail. The birds were just standing in line waiting on me.

Now the plan had one little hiccup… we had to go in January. Now we all know as we get older that January don’t play fair.

But I wasn’t worried. No sir. I had maps marked up, walk-in areas pinned, gear packed, dogs ready… well, almost. One of my best dogs, Annie, tore a pad right before the trip. That should’ve been my first hint. But I did what we all do when we really want something… I ignored it.

I said. “We’re good.”

Then the weather reports started rolling in. Big winter storm snow and ice. The kind of forecast that makes grocery stores run out of milk, eggs, and bread like folks are about to make French toast for a month straight.

One buddy backed out. He said it was too dangerous. I laughed and called him soft.

(That right there should’ve been hint number two.)

My other buddy called and said, “You sure about this? They’re talking a foot of snow up through Kentucky and Kansas City.”

I said, “We’ll just swing south, hit I-40. Might take longer, but we’ll get there.” Translation: I had already made up my mind… and facts weren’t invited to the meeting.

So we roll out and make it to Arkansas Saturday night. Cold, windy, but manageable. Sunday morning we go to visit a church where we stayed that night, and when we come out… my phone was lit up like a Christmas tree. My wife was stuck trying to get home in Virginia. Storm had hit hard while she was in church. Roads icing up. Folks sliding everywhere.

Now, praise God, we had friends step in and help her get home safe… but while all that’s going on, my buddy looks at me and says, “You think we oughta turn back?”

At that moment I said something real spiritual… “Nope. We’re going to Oklahoma.”

That wasn’t faith. That was stubbornness dressed up in upland orange.

So we hit the road. Snow falling harder. Temps dropping. Phones ringing. Warnings coming in from every direction. And I just kept driving like I was on a mission from above while ignoring the obvious.

We finally made it in the state and were going to get a quick hunt in that evening before we went further west. So we turned the dogs loose and I’m telling you, it looked like a deleted scene from the movie Twister. The wind howling. The snow blowing sideways. I’m pretty sure at one point I saw a cow fly by us.

Dogs looked back at me with disgust. We hunted about as long as it takes to regret a bad decision… then piled back in the truck and I said, “It’ll be better tomorrow.”

Next morning, news says record lows. Worse wind. Worse everything. So I get up about 6am to start the trip further west and get this hunt going. I get out to the truck and open the dog trailer, and let ol Gunner out of that warm box before we get on the road, he walks over to do his business… and I promise you his teeth start chattering. For real! I had never seen that before in my life with a dry dog.

At that point I raised the white flag. I finally looked at my buddy, who had reached the “this man has lost his mind” stage two days prior, and said, “You wanna go home?” He said, “I wanted to go home before we left.”

So we packed up, no birds, no great stories. Just high gas bills, toll charges showing up a month later like a Spirit lead reminder of my bad decisions.

You see, sometimes we try to kick in doors God has clearly shut, and it never ends well.

Over in Deuteronomy chapter 1, God told Israel not to go up and fight. Said, “Don’t do it. I’m not with you in this.” They went anyway. Guess what they got whipped.

Why? Because they tried to force a door God had closed.

And then you see Acts 21, where Paul the Apostle is warned what’s waiting on him… chains, trouble, hardship. He still went.

Here’s the point…

Not every “I want it” is a “God wants it” and stubbornness has a price tag.

We like to call it determination… grit… perseverance.

But most of the time, plain and simple…It’s just hard-headedness.

And there ain’t no trophy waiting at the end of a road God told you not to travel.

See, there’s a difference between walking by faith… and dragging God behind your plans hoping He’ll bless them.

One brings peace. The other brings frustration, toll bills, and freezing dogs.

So I’ve learned, the hard way…

When God shuts a door, don’t start looking for a battering ram. Because you might get it open… and you’re probably not gonna like what’s on the other side.