Apr
26
2017
Combination Lock
Posted in Salvation 5 Comments
It was a random memory.
I had no idea where it came from when it popped into my head.
The memory brought back a time that was over forty years ago.
The memory took me back to high school.
There were so many things new and scary about going to high school.
It meant leaving the security of the small elementary school that I attended.
It meant being a freshman after being the eight grader that just left a position of seniority.
It meant being in school with seniors.
You hear the horror stories, the things meant to make you nervous.
Some you knew were too absurd to believe.
Some you knew were probably true.
It was the probably true ones that caused the most trouble.
You will get lost.
You will not be able to find your classroom.
You will probably walk into the wrong class and sit there for a while before you realize it.
You will never get your locker open.
The first three fears were inevitable.
I knew there would be a learning curve.
I was ready to give myself grace.
However, never being able to get my locker opened really scared me.
I knew there was only so much time between classes.
I knew that if you were late without a late pass, you could get a demerit.
I knew that the combination lock would be my nemesis.
I just wanted to get my locker and my lock ahead of time so I could practice.
That never happened.
I got my locker and my lock the first day of school like everyone else.
Lockers were painted different colors which made them easier to distinguish.
Lockers were usually outside of your homeroom to make it easier to be on time.
On the first day, when our locks were given to us, there were many rules that went with them.
If you lose you lock, you will have to buy a new one.
Memorize your combination because if you lose your combination…
I did not listen to the rest because I was determined not to lose my lock or my combination.
The first day was a mix of emotions and feelings.
There was excitement to be in high school.
There was fear to be in high school.
The emotion that won out depended on the type of day it was during those first few weeks.
I remember being given time to practice opening our lockers.
I remember doing it just dreadfully.
Do I turn it right or do I turn it left?
Do I have to turn the dial all the way around or only half way around?
I would get to the end of my combination and pull on the lock.
Nothing happened.
It remained locked.
I had to start all over again.
Some people seemed to open their lockers on the first try.
People like me, who struggled a bit, just kept our head down and tried again.
As time went on, people got clever.
They would turn their combination to all but the last number just to speed things up a bit.
That would often backfire.
Older students knew that the freshman tried that tactic.
They would go along the hallway and spin the locks.
You could always tell the ones that happened to since they tended to kick their locker.
I smiled at the memory.
Imagine turning the combination to all the numbers but the last one.
Imagine trying to come up with a shortcut.
The shortcut often backfired, which meant that it took more time to open their locker.
We all had systems of organization.
The long part of the locker was for your coat.
The small compartment at the top was for your books.
Some found it easier to separate books into before lunch and after lunch piles to make it easier.
That system worked fine during the day.
You just had to remember the right books to bring home for homework.
I look back now and think that we made it much harder than it really was.
However, it was new and it was scary, and we were young and naive.
Thomas said to Him, “Lord we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:5,6)
There is only one way to be saved.
That is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
There is only one Way that will allow us to enter Heaven.
That one Way does not come about by shortcuts.
That one Way does not come about by anything we do.
We can spin our locks all day, thinking we will hold that last number until our dying breath.
We think a combination of works and good intentions will open up the way for us.
We can only enter Heaven through Jesus Christ who is the Way.
Being lost is inevitable, until we meet Jesus.
Sitting far to long in a place we should not be is our life until we come face to face with Jesus.
Thinking we can take shortcuts to open the way to heaven is futile because Jesus is the Way.
There are no shortcuts; there is only Jesus.
Stop spinning.
Stop trying to come up with shortcuts on your own.
Being lost is only temporary because of Jesus.
Jesus is the only Way the lock is opened.
Jesus is the only Way.
I used to have a recurring dream of looking for my locker and not finding it and being late for class–I was told this was about frustration, which is probably true. I still don’t like combination locks! But you are so right–the only true way to eternal life is through our Lord Jesus. No combination needed; just faith.
Sue,
Isn’t it wonderful that there is no fussing with locks, no need to spin the dial, no need to hold out for that last number in order to open what is locked before us? Jesus is the WAY.
Gina
I always get a sense of peace and comfort after reading your thought-provoking daily “Whispers”. Thank you
Thank you, Kaye, for taking the time to tell me that, which is so encouraging to me. I am delighted that you are blessed.
Gina
37-11-5 after all these yrs I still remember.
Sue,
I cannot believe you remember your combination after all these years! That is truly amazing! I have no idea what my combination was during high school. I just remember that my lock could be so difficult at times. Glad that this post made you remember.
Regina