The Gate's Always Open

9 X 12 Oil on stretched canvas
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Boy, this painting just screamed symbolism all day to me as I worked on it.
I have used this background several times (or one like it). The actual image is from a neighbor's gate down the road from me. I say "neighbor" even though they are at least 3 miles from me, but here in the country, anyone within 15 miles of my gate is considered a neighbor, and in all honesty, I'll bet I can name 25% of the people within 10 miles of me. No one in the city can do that. Heck, many can't even name their next-door-neighbors. I know mine quite well. We depend upon one another. Ron and Phyllis (neighbors to the north) left for Decatur the other day and when a few miles from home, Ron remembered he hadn't turned off the water to his cows. He called us (thank goodness for cell phones) and Mike obligingly drove over to his house and cut off the water. When bad weather hits, I check on Pat (to the South) - she's alone and not visible from the road. We both share our despise for the gas companies that are currently disrupting our peace and quiet.
I digressed, didn't I? Back to the gate. This neighbor's gate is always open, partly due to the fact that it is off its hinges and there are no longer any cattle on the property. And partly because that is the way this neighbor is. Welcoming.
We have a big iron gate at the end of our drive and it is rarely closed. In fact the only time I close it is when an animal gets loose and I'm afraid of it getting out on the road before I can catch it (usually a cow). Or I deliberately let the horses loose to graze around the house - a rare event since they are non-discriminate eaters and the vegetable garden isn't fenced off from the yard.
Our gate is always open. Welcoming symbolism.
Isaiah 26:2
Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith.