If you’ve ever found yourself lost, then you know how it feels to be found. To realize that you are loved and welcome to come inside. That’s the power of an unlocked door. It helps others to know that you care about them and want to welcome them in. Often, especially as educators, we are mandated to lock our doors. But leaving them unlocked can give hope, especially to the lost.
The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable,
to be compassionate,
to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Last month, Tiffany Slaton went missing for over two weeks after she was caught by surprise in an unusual blizzard while hiking deep in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
After successfully fending off wild animals, surviving on leeks and snow, and hiking peaks over 10,000 feet high, she was found alive in a cabin because someone cared.
Quite remarkably, the property owner kept his cabin unlocked just in case someone got stranded in the mountains and needed shelter. He saw the risk and met a need.
The best way to find yourself is to
lose yourself in the service of others.
— Mahatma Gandhi
Locking doors has become a mandated practice among educators as the threats from people with evil motives against those who are most vulnerable continue to spread.
Unlocking doors, though, is also a valuable benefit produced through education, where we free the mind and spirit to pursue what may otherwise seem closed off.
We change things! We have the power to reveal, connect, and motivate through rich learning experiences and vital relationships that open doors to new opportunities.
A generous person will prosper;
Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed
— Proverbs 11:25
Leaving doors unlocked is a different matter. When we are generous, when we anticipate the needs of others, we use what we've been given as blessings for others.
We leave Handfuls of Purpose—precious gifts that enable their joy and fulfillment.
Being and bringing our best every day is foundational to the work of an educator because we never know who is watching and the difficult needs that are being met.
Our prayers, our obedience, our preparation, and our willingness give them hope.
When you leave a door unlocked, you’ll be thoughtfully giving to others because you have been blessed with so much.
