One door closes ...

That's how the saying goes, right? "When one door closes, another opens." Except, it doesn't always seem to be exactly correct, does it?

Sometimes we get doors slammed in our faces and all we see are walls. Sometimes we feel like that door that just shut locked us into a dark closet with no escape. Disappointment is palpable. Sometimes.

Other times, we see that next door immediately. Who knows if it's going to open, but at least we can see that door. Opportunity is there. It might not be knocking on our door, but we are trying to knock for it.

Some may have known that I applied for a position with Baptist Press. It was almost on a whim at the end of last year, but things progressed well until I was one of the final two candidates for the job. I flew up for an in-person interview, after going through several steps of questions, writing and editing.

It was a bit of a whirlwind to go from being a M.Div. student, stay-at-home dad and midnight box loader to wearing a suit, flying for a quick jaunt to Nashville and having a potentially life-changing conversation with Baptist leaders.

From my perspective, things went well. I thought I was able to present myself well in the interview and demonstrate that I could handle the job. Apparently, they thought so as well, but perhaps not quite as much as the other candidate.

They called me tonight to inform me that they had chosen the other person. Disappointment. However, they would like to forward my materials along with a recommendation for another position at a different place. Opportunity.

Now, I wait. Isn't that the hardest part about opportunities - the waiting? Not knowing is almost always worse than knowing, even if it is bad.

My prayer was always that God would lead in the process. I wanted the right person to work for Baptist Press. I wanted to be exactly where God wanted our family to be. Apparently, it wasn't this job, but maybe it's the next possibility. Maybe, it's not.

One door closes, another door appears. Will it open? Who knows, but it's more waiting and trusting. That's a hard place to be, but it has to be a place where God loves to work. Forty years in the wilderness worked to refine the children of Israel. A few more months can't hurt me, can it?

One door closes ... another adventure awaits.