Vol.9,
No.49, 2006 The
Doorstep of God By
Peter Beitz
I am lost.
I know
not who I am, what I am,
nor where I am going. The
world is a maze spinning
round and round and round
in my mind.
I need
help.
I am alone
in the darkness that devours
me. I need a direction, a
purpose - something to believe
in. In my stumbling, I come
across a stairwell rising
forever towards the sky.
Where it leads I do not know.
As I look around, I notice
other stairwells of the same
make growing upwards towards
the same infinite Mystery.
Which one should I choose?
Is there a right one? Is
there a wrong one? There
are no reasons to ask such
questions: I close my eyes,
take a long, slow, deep breath,
empty my mind, exhale, and
let my heart choose. I let
go and listen to my feelings.
I begin my journey walking
up my stairwell, one step
at a time. Each step becomes
a lesson, value, and moral
for my life that makes me
stronger, better, and able
to take the next step. After
a while, my legs grow tired.
The steps seem endless.
I lose hope.
As I look
beside me, I see others -
just like me - making the
same tough and tiresome journey.
Together, we help each other
climb the next step, then
the next, and the next. Together,
we grow stronger: we thrive
with each other and laugh
and cry at the silly things
we do and the stories we
tell. Together, we continue
on: one day at a time, one
step at a time. Soon we reach
the top - our destination.
Silent, we stand in front
of a simple yet beautiful
door. A sign on the door
reads:
Welcome
to the Doorstep of God
In silence,
I glance to my left and right
and notice others, no different
than my friends and me, reaching
this very same doorstep from
their stairwells. These stairs
are the same ones I pondered
over at the beginning of
my journey. I would have
never guessed they would
all meet at the same end.
It seems that there are many
stairwells that lead to the
Doorstep of God. We find
each other, and like brothers
and sisters we embrace one
another and tell tales of
our adventures and struggles.
All the while, the simple
wooden door stood, silently,
watching us. What lay behind?
I stand in wonder - a little
scared, a little excited.
Everyone behind me, I move
forward and touch the round
handle.
It is warm.
I slowly
open the door. A bright,
yet soft, white light emanates
from the narrow opening I
create. Warmth begins to
pulsate from beyond. My heart
races; my eyes grow wider;
my face silent in awe. I
open the door completely
and let it rest at its natural
end, as we stand together,
engulfed in a glow of great
beauty and radiance. Comfort
and infinite joy dance around
and through us. Is this God?
Are our struggles now being
rewarded at this final end?
The glow and warmth begins
to fade. In silence, we find
ourselves staring blankly
into a mirror at one another.
