What does God want you to do?  You don't know?  Doors keep getting shut in your face?  You feel lost and don't know what direction the Lord is taking you? 

Maybe your eyes aren't focused on what God wants, but they are focused on what you think God wants. 

I had a real awaking this weekend at a Ladies Retreat I attended.  As some ladies were praying over me one woman said, "you are looking over there and God wants you to look over here."  I shook my head not really understanding the full meaning of that.  She saw my lack of understanding and did something that made me "get it".  She said, "God has his hands on your face trying to get you to look over here."  and she physically turns my head.  "But your eyes are focused over there."  And she turns my head the other way.  After about two more time of this...I "got" the message! 

Recently, I closed my photography business out of obedience to the Lord.  Every direction I went since then, God closed the door.  I'm use to doing something so this doing nothing was a very difficult place for me to be in.  I was uncomfortable being still.  There was some deeper feeling I was having, but could not verbalize what I was feeling.  The another lady who was praying over me nailed it.  She said, "God is not punishing you by putting you on the sidelines."  Bam, like a nail in my heart.  I burst into tears realizing that this is what I was really feeling.   She went on to say, "This is a place of preparation.  This is a beautiful place.  It is a sabbatical." 

Sabbatical is defined as denoting a period of leave granted at intervals to teachers for rest, study, or travel.

So next time God closes a door...know that he may be leading you into a sabbatical.  Take him up on it so when the next season comes and you can hit the ground running. 

Yes, what a beautiful place to be in!