Which Door?

A lot of people are offended by the Christians' claim that Jesus Christ is the only way anyone can come to know God personally and be part of His family.
I can understand that
Especially in this day and age it can sound very exclusive and dismissive.
(It isn't actually but that's another story)

Recently I was invited to talk to a group of women about my spiritual journey
In doing so, I came up with an analogy that, I believe, can make this easier to understand

I shared with the group how the sense of "not belonging" surrounded me from childhood, to the extent that I asked my mother if I was adopted!
I told them I remember telling her I was homesick even when I was at home and asking her why.
This in spite of being part of a loving family!

As an analogy, I used the picture of a young child running from one house to another, knocking on the front doors, desperately hoping to find her home, where her family was, where her father was.
Where she belonged.

These doors represented the other religions I tried in my quest -
Time after time, when that door opened, that child was met with a stranger.
Definitely not father or family
Definitely not home.
And she turned away, kept searching . . . alone and desperate

I told the group that the day came when I found what I was looking for
And tried to describe the unutterable joy and relief
By saying when I knocked on that door, it opened to home, belonging, father, family and purpose.
I had found where I belonged
And still do.

But the penny that dropped was this:
Jesus said, "I am the Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved."
There is one door to the family of God.
My little girl in the story was overwhelmed with joy and relief at coming home: she never thought of quibbling over the fact that there was only one door to her home
She was only too grateful to have found the way in.
And remains grateful to this day.