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Thursday, August 13, 2015

When Key and Lock Just Simply Don't Work

Locks and keys have been around for a long time. There are many kinds of locks. They prevent people from freely getting in and out. Locks define accessible space. They guard space and all that it contains.



Did you know that many biological processes function via lock-key principle? That's so amazing. Lock-and-key one of the best ways that illustrates complementary principles. Lock needs a key in order to be unlocked. In some cases the latch will do it.
Lock has to stay still after the key is out. It's key that does the job by turning and twisting.
There are cases of lock tampering, where someone tries to break the lock or open it with something that is not meant for the lock. If the lock succumbs, it will break.
Bible tells us to guard our hearts.
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
Our hearts are so important to God because whatever we have inside our hearts--good or bad-- will eventually come out. Our true nature lies within our hearts. We can put on mask to deceive people around us. God sees the heart.
In many cases whatever is in our hearts will come out of the mouth. Sometimes we have to be quiet. Harsh words can destroy relationships.
Proverbs 13:3 "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."
There is a great war for the hearts of people. We often keep our hearts locked. God and Satan--both unlocking the hearts. There is a difference in how they do that. God's key is love. Satan's keys: self-destruction, death, flesh gratification--basically anything that leads us away from the soul salvation: God our creator.
In many cases the wrong key will not open the lock, but it will break it. I have seen locks with parts of keys stuck in. In other cases the lock will succumb and the door will be opened. In most cases when the door is opened not the way it meant to be, the lock cannot be used any longer--broken lock.
Many times locks just wear off. It starts with signs: harder to turn key in, noises that re strange, hard to push key in, and soon you cannot either lock or unlock the door.
Many years ago--when I lived in Russia-- I came back from school and inserted the key. I was able to turn it freely, but the door didn't open. From the outside it seemed fine. It was broken on the inside.
How ironic is that--there are so many cases: families, marriages, jobs, ministries, outreaches and other endeavors where everything looks fine or even well-run, but to no avail. The results of key turning is nothing.
Key has simple design in comparison to lock-- just one piece. But it's the piece that has to do the work. Otherwise the lock will not open properly. Each key is designed for a certain lock. There are some keys which can open multiple locks--master keys. People don't use master key that often.
There are many kinds of keys: metal, plastic, codes, passwords, scanning keys, and so on.
Sometimes key needed to be lubricated otherwise it might not be able to do the job.
Few months ago I was in a hurry to get to one of my classes. I couldn't insert the key in a lock. By the grace of God I was able to find a maintenance. The problem was simple--not enough oil. And I thought that the lock was broken.

Real Life Application

Lock-and-Key principle illustrates some real life relationships. Working on a project can be compared to key-lock interaction. Project itself is like a lock, or a puzzle and a person solving it is like a key. When we stuck in a certain situation, we have to assess and evaluate the situation itself: examine the lock. Lock can be dysfunctional in so many ways. It can be a minor or  major thing.
No matter how hard you try--sometimes--you cannot resolve the issue until the situation changes. In some cases you have to change the approach to a certain situation.
And in some cases you might not be even the right person to solve the situation--the right key to a lock. So many times I tried to help someone and I wasn't able to help. Put the key that fits. But in some cases key needs to be turned in more than once.
Many problems require step-wise solution. Just like a patient who needs multiple doses of medication.
I have seen cases where we act as locks when we should be keys. And we are being keys when we are locks. I personally believe that we need to distinguish when to be locks and when to be keys. This will lead us to effectiveness in all areas of oour lives.     

  

8 comments:

  1. Such a deep insight, Irina! I've never thought of lock-and-key in such a profound, spiritual way. I appreciate that you dealt with our heart issue here. And I do appreciate your quotations from Proverbs,

    I've learned a lot from you, Irina. One of them is your utter honesty. Today, I wrote about my failure church experience when I was in Japan. It needed much courage to open up this dark history of mine. Even after publishing this testimony on my Japanese blog, I still felt ashamed. Then I came to your blog,,,,and I was encouraged. I saw your scars on your leg again. It encouraged me and stirred up my spirit. Through your scars, He told me, "don't be ashamed, Kinuko."

    Your scars remind me of His scars on his hands and feet. ",,,It is by His wounds that you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24

    Thank you, Irina, for your being.
    from Kinuko

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    1. Kinuko, what an insight you have for so many things. This is so amazing!!!
      I cannot believe how profound you found my blog. I feel so humbled and uplifted.
      Before I met you, I was about to stop blogging. I thought that it was waste of time.
      In Christ,
      Irina

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  2. Very insightful article! You let us know always that through our experiences in daily life,God teach us many important things.How difficult to deal with our heart. But if we stay with Him,day by day we are blessed to learn His way. Thank you for sharing.

    Sanae

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    1. Sanae, thank you so much for your comment. I am glad you found it helpful!

      Irina

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    2. I agree with Sanae that you let us know that through our daily experiences, God teaches us many important things.

      Irina, I am so glad that you did not stop blogging. Please do continue to write for us!! We are looking forward to reading your next post.

      p.s. I am interested in Russian Christian spirituality. If you know about these things including your own, one time, would you please share with us? Thank you. (I've heard that the evangelical churches in Russia is growing and many people are hungry for Gospel messages.)

      Kinuko

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    3. Unfortunately, I don't have any experiences with Russian evangelical churches. Maybe I'll do post on my Russian Orthodox experience sometime in a future.

      Irina

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  3. Very interesting blog. Alot of blogs I see these days don't really provide anything that I'm interested in, but I'm most definately interested in this one. Just thought that I would post and let you know.
    locksmith in Bellevue

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment. I am glad you found the log interesting. I am grateful for your comment. If you have any questions about any post/article feel free to ask.

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