Frank Gore is one of the most underrated running backs, but his longevity and consistency have led him to accumulate the third-most career rushing yards in NFL history. On Sunday, he passed the legendary Barry Sanders and his 15,269 yards.

Gore is 36 and has played in 217 of his 231 NFL games. Now in his 15th season, he ranks No. 3 on the all-time rushing list with 15,289 yards.

In order for him to amass that amount of yards, plenty of holes had to open up and he had to know which direction to go. Gore had to have the patience necessary to wait for the right hole to develop, coupled with the speed to burst through the opening once it’s there.

He’s played with confidence and an awareness of the defense which led to him hitting the open holes game after game, year after year.

This is a great illustration of what it looks like to follow Jesus and to go through His open doors. In many ways, He’s like our offensive line – opening holes for us to run through with confidence and ease.

Patience and wisdom are required to know the right hole or doors to enter, but when we’re seeking Him and abiding in Him, it’s amazing to see the doors that open. As the “defenders” are pushed aside, a clear path is provided for us to freely run into the end zone.

Of course, Frank Gore still gets tackled and holes close up at times, but he’s consistently moving forward, clearly seeing the field, and finding the holes that allow him to thrive.

As we look back on his 15 years in the NFL, every correct hole he went through added up to a worthwhile and productive career.

In order for us to see the holes/doors that Jesus is opening for us, we have to hear His voice. He reminds us of this in John 10:27 (AMP): “The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.”

During Paul’s ministry, he wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 (NLT): “In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.”

Despite the defenders, there was a wide-open door of opportunity to do the work of the Lord. Likewise, we have to be aware of the defenders and trust that God will move them out of the way.

God is inviting us to follow His ways and do His will. He wants us to run with freedom through the clear openings He shows us. We rely on God to do the opening while it’s up to us to be obedient and go through.

Even when Paul was in prison, he trusted God to open doors for him to share the gospel. In Colossians 4:3 (AMP), he asked others to join him in prayer: “At the same time pray for us, too, that God will open a door [of opportunity] to us for the word, to proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have been imprisoned.”

Today, let’s ask God to open doors for us to be used by Him…and for clarity to know which direction to go. Then when we look back at our lives, we’ll see how every correct “hole” we chose added up to a worthwhile and productive life.

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the many doors You’ve opened up for me. Help me continue to be patient and wait for the openings to develop so that I can move ahead with confidence and trust in You. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.