George, a young man in Greece, was planning to attend Bible college when the scholarship he was counting on was inexplicably cancelled. Frustrated and disappointed because of the closed door, he enlisted in the army to fulfill his nation’s required two years of military service. George eventually completed a law degree with distinction.

After graduation, George found himself in the midst of a hotbed of religious persecution against the evangelical church in his country. Pursuing his convictions, he took on a series of assignments on behalf of evangelical Christianity. He was arrested over 30 times for his religious activities.

When the Athens 3 Trial made global news, George became a part of the legal team in the center of this religious controversy, and three missionaries were arrested for their involvement. Believers around the world gave so much attention to the situation, that the authorities asked George to tell everyone to quit sending letters. The missionaries were eventually acquitted.

Today, George does not practice law–but the church that he established in Athens-with over 1,000 in weekly attendance-has given birth to 18 congregations in Greece, and his own church translates the Sunday message into eight languages for the people groups that the Lord has attracted there!

One very painful closed door in George’s teenage years opened another one that eventually gave him national and global influence. George’s experience reminds us that instead of looking back at lost opportunities, we should look forward to the possibilities that God may be opening for us. Jesus said, “See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it” (Revelation 3:8 NKJV).[i] Perhaps today God will open a special opportunity for you. Keep watching.

[i] Glenn Burris Jr., Foursquare Church Weekly Email Prayer Guide, May 11, 2009, accessed May 11, 2009.