“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7)
Is it any wonder that those who first heard that glorious, astounding promise left everything they owned or valued behind just to follow the Speaker? And the invitation resounds down through the centuries, remaining just as bold and fresh as the day that it was first proclaimed. It’s why we call ourselves after His name, Christians.
But the promise has an inherent problem; namely, what shall I ask for? When you knock on a door, somebody inside will say, “What do you want?” Then what do you say? “I don’t know.” What are you asking? What are you seeking? And why knock, even if you discover the door that the Lord is referring to? But where does one find that door?
You, the Orthodox Christian, have been baptized. It means that somewhere inside of you Jesus Christ is already present. Those who loved you wanted you to begin your new life in Christ by dying to the old ways of the world. It doesn’t mean that the world outside of Christ is already dead just by a church service, even if it is a mystery or sacrament, but the presence of Christ has inaugurated another life waiting to come alive in you. The doorway to that new life you can find in your heart. If you listen for the quiet peace deep within you, you will understand what I mean.
If you ask the wrong questions, you will hear only silence. Help me to succeed, make me wealthy, and give me a life of worldly delights—for the answer to such as these goals, you are on your own.
Christ came to earth so that we humans may have our true nature restored. He wants to return to us the dignity that was lost by Adam and Eve. If you are happy living like a mere creature, you will never find the door Christ refers to, because you will probably die without ever realizing such a door exists within you. Even more than restoring the nobility of Adam, the Lord Jesus brings to you the grace that comes with the Holy Spirit. It is a special gift of love that He offers freely. He comes to us in our prison of darkness, the worst kind of darkness, which we aren’t aware we are held captive, and He leads us through the passage towards life and light. He doesn’t just point us the way; He has gone ahead of us, inviting us to follow Him.
By passing through that portal of true life one can realize the glorious freedom of soul, liberation from evil thoughts and worthless goals, roaming endlessly in a lifetime of dead ends and frustration, aware of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in communion with Jesus Christ, feeling the love of the heavenly Father.
Begin by asking the salient question: Why did God give me life? What purpose did He have in mind, and how am I fulfilling that plan? Have I done anything constructive up to this period of my life that will shed light on the meaning of life? Then seek the answers. Where might you find the meaning of your life? Who will help you? Can you turn for guidance to the Church, to its priests, and to the Holy Bible? It’s not self-explanatory—you require assistance in order to unlock its mysteries.
Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” That’s the place where you will discover the door He is referring to—but if He answers you and opens the door to invite you in, are you in the proper mental framework to enter, or are you still searching for something in the world that will fulfill your life? It’s not a swinging door, and you cannot continually go in and out.