The reality of the intimate access we have to God
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Charles Hodge was one of the theological giants of Princeton's 
early history - brilliant intellect, prolific writer, a favorite 
among seminary students. In his biography of Hodge, Andrew Hoffecker 
describes the revered seminary professor's "intense interest and 
attention to his children." Here's one way he showed it. He had a 
study built as an addition onto his home. There was an exterior 
door that opened to the outside, so that seminary students could 
see him without having to come through the house and disturbing the 
family. Being an exterior door, it naturally had a lock; so students 
may or may not have had access to him at any given time for any number 
of reasons. But the interior door that connected the study to the 
home was different. There was no lock on that door. In fact, Hoffecker 
writes, it was a door with "no latch ... only springs" so that "even 
the smallest" of his children "always had easy access to their father"
(Hoffecker, Charles Hodge: The Pride of Princeton, 85).

It doesn't take lots of words or persuasive pleadings to get God to 
unlock the door and listen to you; if you're coming from inside the 
house, if He's your Father, there's no lock or latch; only springs. 
It doesn't take great faith, or great faithfulness, to push your way 
into His presence; if you're coming from inside the house, all it 
takes is enough faith and enough desire to push open a spring door, 
and say, "Father."

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that 
we should be called children of God, and [so] we are (1 John 3:1 ASV)." 

- extracted from a sermon by Layton Talbert