He fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why are you working so hard against Me?” Saul answered, “Who are You, Lord?” He said, “I am Jesus, the One Whom you are working against. You hurt yourself by trying to hurt Me.” (Acts 9:4-5 New Life Version)
Have you ever found yourself straining against a door, only to realize—too late—it was marked “pull”? There’s a moment of awkwardness, maybe a sheepish glance around, and then a quiet correction. But it’s also a moment rich with spiritual metaphor.
Sometimes in life, we push hard in the wrong direction. We strive, plan, and persist—only to find resistance, confusion, or exhaustion. We may be pushing against grief, change, or even God’s invitation to let go. Like Saul on the road to Damascus, we hear the divine voice: “Why are you working so hard against Me?” (Acts 9:4–6). It’s not condemnation—it’s compassion. A call to pause, listen, and reorient.
Faith isn’t always about effort. Sometimes it’s about surrender. Pulling open the door marked grace. Trusting that what feels like a closed path might actually be an invitation to receive, not achieve.
In our worship, our conversations, and our pub theology gatherings, we’re learning to notice the signs. To ask: Am I pushing where God is inviting me to pull? Am I striving when I could be receiving? Am I resisting transformation when I could be stepping into it?
Let’s reflect on the blockades of life and maybe God trying to bring grace to us, if we only do it his way. May we be gentle with ourselves and one another. May we laugh at our missteps, reflect on our patterns, and open the doors that lead to deeper trust, wider welcome, and unexpected grace.
Pastor Greg
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Romans 8:37 (ESV)
