Hinge People
The term is “hinge people”.
Have you heard it?
It’s very likely you have not. But it’s a key phrase describing an often unseen group of people that are intently busy doing a work that makes the world a better place.
Hinge people… are people that have endured a closed door in the spiritual world, but the Father points them to the hinges of the closed door and says to them, “Those are suppose to help you open this door that has been closed. I, God, want this door opened. I want my Light to shine into the places that have been dark and murky behind this door. I, God, have chosen you to be the person who puts your shoulder to the door, resist the rust and stiffness of the unused hinges, push hard, open this door, walk through it, step out of the dark and into the Light.”…and then He adds… “When you do this, you’ll be making a way for the generations that follow you to be born into places of more Light, and not have to face the dark you had to endure. Generations can change IF you’ll obey me and use those hinges.”
Hinge people are door openers.
Hinge people are stuck for a portion of their life, because they were born into a murky way of thinking that seems “normal” because it was a part of their environment or something they were taught to endure or perhaps because they simply had no choice other than to persevere through the darkness. Hinge people can be hurt or confused when they hear other people speak so freely of the light; when they watch other people live in places of joy and freedom. Hinge people can become cynical and critical, thinking, “There’s no way someone can be that ‘good’.” Hinge people know what darkness feels like, tastes like and sounds like. Hinge people have endured and so often they are not even aware of the weight they’ve carried. It’s just always been there. It’s their painful, heavy n-o-r-m-a-l.
But...
When God puts His great finger on a hinge person, He begins to wake them up and open their eyes. They begin to wonder about things they’ve always had a confusion over, but on the dark side of the door, they’ve never been able to sort it out. When God puts His hand on their shoulder, He guides them towards the door. Hinge people have never actually known it was a door. To them it’s always just felt like a wall. But when a hinge person realizes it’s a door and not a wall, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they begin to reach for the doorknob. Because you see, they know something hasn’t been “right” and they now wonder about what might be on the other side of the door. The Lord encourages that curiosity. The Father is inviting them into a new place.
It’s hard for the hinge person. It’s hard for most people to step away from what they’ve always known and into the unknown. Oh but the Lord, He is ever inviting us forward; refining us, growing us, sanctifying us, healing us — and none of these can happen if we stay behind closed doors in dark places, stuck in familiar but non-productive ways. Remember the definition of insanity… “to keep doing the same things but expecting a different outcome”. Hinge people have had enough of the insanity in the dark behind the door. Just as a good shepherd will always guide his sheep to the greenest pastures and the cleanest waters, our Good Shepherd will do the same for us, and green pastures are never found behind heavy doors held shut by rusty hinges. So while it is hard to put shoulder to door and leave old, stale familiar — it is the only way to find what is best. And the hinge person has the hand of the Holy One patting their back with a kind pressing to step out of the darkness and into the place HE has prepared for them.
A hinge person will do life in ways that speak of growth and health, life and love. They might have come from a place of generational bondage where a whole family line functioned based on what had been done in the past — sometimes even erroneously elevating a wonder who became oddly famous when they died. Why? Only because they held some false place of power given because of their dominance and influence while alive. People want to “belong”. People want to have a place where they are “received and wanted”. Sadly, people will assimilate themselves into some horrible places, such as gangs or cults or politically driven groups, all for the need to be included. How did Hitler become so powerful? How did Charles Manson compel others to commit murder? How is it that those molested in childhood will too often molest/abuse those smaller than them? How is it that a group of people can participate in heinous actions beside others in the group?
Darkness is blinding.
Oh God. Light allows us to see.
Hinge people are the people who have felt the darkness and yet when the hand of God touches them — they step forward — put their shoulder to the door that has kept out the Light — and they push so hard, the rusty hinges begin to move and squeal and what had been sealed in darkness encounters l-i-g-h-t.
I know many hinge people, personally, and they amaze me! I think hinge-people are my favorites because they are so wonderfully quiet in their courage and bravery.
There’s a young lady who was unprotected as a girl, left to find her own way, she was molested and raped by many. She stayed silent; silence was what her family did. They didn’t talk about hurts, struggles. She was ashamed and afraid that if she told them, they would no longer “include” her in the silent sort of home they had provided. It almost destroyed her.
But... she's a hinge person.
She has overcome an absent parent and an abusive husband. She cares for her children beautifully!!! She has a daughter… they share everything, the good, the bad, the hurtful and the beautiful. Her daughter can tell her anything and know that her mother will remain beside her, helping her. And the way this dear lady worships… well… it is so pure.
There’s a man who grew up under the shadow of a father who held secret sins to his heart. The little boy never understood why his father didn’t seem to like him, even though the words “I love you” were spoken. He knew, deep inside, his father didn’t like him. A shadow hung between them. Perhaps the father felt badly about himself when he would wrongly compare himself to his son. Whatever the reason, the son grew up hurting — for every son wants to feel the approval and love of their father.
It hindered him in many ways.
But... he's a hinge person.
He has overcome the distance. He, instead, has reached for the closeness of The Father. He loves (and likes) his own children, and they know it. When they succeed, he cheers for them. When they struggle, he sits closer. His children know the good covering a good father can bring. This man put his shoulder to the door and pushed it open. The hinges seemed to have been crusted over by his own father’s sins… oh but when the Lord wants a door opened, nothing can keep it closed. The Light now shines so beautifully in this man’s life. His children and grandchildren bask in it. That’s what hinge people do.
Hinge people are not victims! Hinge people have suffered, but they look UP and the Father guides them. They feel a door, not a wall. And they bravely hold God’s hand as they push through what was, and step into what can be — for with God all things are possible.
Next week’s reach for more will continue looking at “hinge people” as we will find them tucked throughout the Holy Pages. But this week I close with this amazing thought — hinge people always change the realm of their influence.
From darkness to light.
From fear to faith.
From self to selfless.
From egoistic to altruistic.
The greatest hinge person who has ever lived is — our Jesus.
