“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

Keys come in many sizes; we will use more than one size or type of key on any given day. Most every home has a small bag or box filled with keys of all sizes. Many appear new while others may have come over on the Mayflower. Are they important? What do they fit? Who knows! But, you must never, ever throw a key away; it may be the very one needed.

Very large keys remind us of the one Barney Fife used to lock up his “dangerous criminals” in Mayberry’s jail. One large key always hung in plain sight so Otis, the town drunk, could lock himself up when he stumbled in late at night.

The most common keys are medium-sized such as Ward and June Cleaver’s house key. And, who can forget The Fonz waving his small key at the girls when preparing to take his “cool car” out for a spin?

Long before our information was easily stored electronically, young ladies wrote their most secret thoughts in colorful diaries. This book was then securely locked with a tiny key and safely tucked away lest anyone dare peek.

You may be too young to remember many of these keys; or like this writer, so old you’ve forgotten them. There is, however, another key each of us has in our possession and use every day without giving it a thought. This is the “invisible key.”

Think of those you know who seem to enjoy cooking. Do they really like to cook, or do they cook because they like to eat? How about you? Are the things you do every day satisfying? Do you really enjoy what you are doing? The invisible key is in discovering why you do what you do.

Click here for my article on 5 Keys to Building Self-Esteem

At any sporting event, fans will respond differently to the same actions. Some are mournful, grumpy, or downright angry. Others are clapping, shouting, and overjoyed. Reactions depend upon which team is winning. In every circumstance of life, knowing which team you are on is the invisible key.

Some employees may be working hard at their assigned tasks while others are clearly working hard at hardly working. We wonder if they want to keep their jobs or get fired and collect unemployment. The invisible key here is accountability, honesty, and self-respect.

When needing a different car, do we look for a used or a classy new one? How far into debt should we go? Should we make a five-year loan or use money we have saved to purchase a good used one? Certainly, here the invisible key is to recognize our needs over our wants.

The invisible key comes into place as we consider daily habits. Do we smoke or use drugs? Are we willing to deal with the consequences of our bad choices? Here we clearly see the invisible key to knowledge and self-discipline.

Do you get the idea of the invisible key? Every day we make choices that affect ourselves and those around us. The key is to realize the importance of thinking through choices that ultimately affect our lives and others.

The most essential invisible key, the ultimate key, we will all need in this life is the Key to Heaven. We know the Only Key to Heaven is Jesus. Like with all our invisible keys, we have a choice of which to use and which to ignore. Becoming more aware of our invisible keys will lead us to a more fulfilled life.

Click here for amazing keys from the Bible.

Hugs,

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Looking forward to your thoughts on helpful keys in your life.