Being an interior designer, we view hallways as areas in homes where your eyes are able to get a “respite” before taking in the decor of another space in the home.  Not too much design attention is given to hallways because these are areas that do not receive much of the homeowner’s interaction or time. Hallways are basically meant to be used as a means of functional transition or preparation for what’s to come in other spaces in the home.

I am able to relate this message to what I do as an interior designer because as hallways serve as a functional purpose for our homes, they are also spiritually functional in our lives.

As human beings, we will always find ourselves one time or another in the “hallway of preparation”.  The hallway of preparation is a place in a person’s life when God has closed one door but He has not immediately opened another door at the same moment.  We are basically waiting in the “hallway” until He decides to open another door of our life.

If our lives consisted of no hallway preparation moments, we would continually be on a transitional mission, always coming and going with rest, reflection, and proper preparation.  We need those hallway moments to get refueled, recharged, and sometimes redirected by God especially when we have steered off His path for our lives…“A man’s heart devise his way: but the LORD directs his steps”…Proverbs 16:9

Because we are a nation of people who are always wanting our way all the time, used to things being fast-pace, quick, and always looking for the next fast opportunity, those hallway moments can sometimes feel like punishment.  We can sometime feel that God is not listening, or He has not heard our prayers, or that our lives are on a path leading to nowhere.   These things are not the case.   We have to realize that there is power and purpose in those hallway moments just as there is power in closed and open doors.  The hallway provides a chance for us to breathe and get ready for what God has in-store next  for us.

Here are four things to do while waiting in the “hallway of preparation”:

•  Accept that you are in the hallway.  Calm down, rest, and be content.  Just know that God is working on your behalf to get you prepared for the next level or season in your life.
• Continue to work on yourself spiritually.  Get deeply immersed into God’s Word because this is the time when the enemy will try to test your faith and your obedience to God.  You will need to know God’s Word and His promises so that you can defeat the lies of the enemy as you wait on GodAllow this time to deepen your relationship and walk with God.
•  Do not try to look for another way out.  This is not the time to put into action the old saying…”when the going gets tough, the tough gets going”.   God is at His best when we are at our weakest moments or when things look somewhat unsure or uncomfortable.   It is easy to open a pre-mature door or seek an alternative path, but we do not want to miss out on what God has planned ahead for us…just stay put in the hallway!
•  Be faithful, obedient, and be PREPARED!  We have to remain faithful to know that God is behind the scenes creating the perfect opportunity, creating a favorable atmosphere, changing hearts and getting everything perfectly prepared BEFORE He opens the next door.  That is The God that we serve, He only wants the best for His children…“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”…James 1:17

Hopefully this message has shown the importance of “hallway preparations” in our lives and what to do when we find ourselves standing in the hallway waiting on God.  When you find yourself in your moment of a “hallway of preparation” be mindful that God is up to something great and this is your opportunity of respite before your next promotion in your life.

Sharing in God’s Love,

Tamela