After finishing a very hearty lunch, I, along with Namie and Ate Ara (work mates) headed back to the office. When we got there, we realized that the office was locked. As if through divine providence, Namie had her office keys with her. They gave the keys to me, knowing that I was brawny and that opening the lock required some brawn, and I tried my best to open the lock. I was turning, and pulling, and pushing, and struggling, but it won't open. Finally, Melvin (the janitor) came around and took the keys and opened the lock. Alas! I was turning the keys the wrong way! Stupid huh? I was following Ate Ara's and Namie's directions when I was the one holding the keys.

It was really funny. However, I realized that there might be more to it that a demonstration of my stupidity. Something philosophical, perhaps, life changing. I started thinking, keeping in mind it is a dangerous task, what if mistakes like turning the keys the wrong way can change your life? I mean, sure, now you can say "No harm, no foul." But what if it's something with more brevity?

We always use doors and locks as a metaphor to chances in life, or to life itself. When something doesn't go our way, we say, "When one door closes, another opens." We sometimes forget that doors have locks. Maybe, we have the keys to all the doors that closes. We just turn it the wrong way.

When I was turning the key, I felt like I had to try turning it the other way. I never came around to doing that, obviously. I was satisfied with listening to the advice of the people who are standing behind me. But I was the one with the keys. I was satisfied with thinking, "Maybe it's just really too hard for me to open." I gave up.

Maybe in all those other times when the opportunity just seems to miss us, we were just turning the keys the wrong way. Maybe we just didn't listen to what we heard in our "inner self."

Looking at my life as a Christian, I'm beginning to think that there are ocassions as well when I just didn't turn the key the right way. I let the world dictate to me how I'm supposed to open the door when that door was to my life. I didn't listen to the Holy Spirit telling me to turn it the other way. Lord, help me to listen to the Holy Ghost more. Help me to heed to the Holy Ghost's directions.

If not being able to open the door due to stupidity was funny, if it applies to my Christian life, I don't think God is laughing. The devil might find victory in it. Why should I help him?

I'm not turning on my *religious* mode. I'm not quite convinced that religion will do me much good. I believe in the relationship with God. But I just saw the opportunity to find a lesson from something simple. Not all lessons are hard learned anyway. Besides, if I had to get hurt to learn, I won't enjoy learning.