Gatekeeper

My gym attendance is consistent. Seven days a week I arrive at the same time each morning and, unless it is occupied, I always use the same treadmill. The treadmill is situated in a traffic area that leads to the cubicles for backpacks and jackets, so it’s not unusual for me to speak, or to make eye contact with many of the gym members coming and going. A few days ago, a woman in her late 60’s, who is somewhat sporadic in attendance, greeted me. She said, “You make a great gatekeeper!”  In the Old Testament gatekeepers were assigned to their positions of trust by David, “They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the LORD—the house called the Tent… They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning.” (1 Chron 9:23,27 NIV). I enjoy greeting fellow gym members in the mornings, but I certainly I don’t want to be the gatekeeper who is in charge of opening the gym at 4:00 a.m.