The Ride of your LIFE: Part 2

There were SO many great stories shared this past weekend at the LIFE Leadership Conference.  Some were short, some were long. Some funny, some heart-breaking, some powerful and inspiring.  Laurie Woodward, wife to #6 Leadership Guru Orrin Woodward, shared the story of The Black Door or The Firing Squad.

Here it is from The Miracle Times

An Arab Chief tells the story of a spy who had been captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army. The general had fallen upon a strange and weird custom. He permitted the condemned person to make a choice. He could either face the firing squad or pass through the Black Door.

As the moment of execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him for a short, final interview, the primary purpose of which was to receive the answer of the doomed man to the query: "Which shall it be -- the firing squad or the Black Door?"

This was not an easy question, and the prisoner hesitated, but soon made it known that he much preferred the firing squad. Not long thereafter a volley of shots in the courtyard announced that the grim sentence had been fulfilled.

The general, staring at his boots, turned to his aide and said, "You see how it is with men, they will always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. And yet I gave him his choice."

"What lies beyond the Black Door?" asked the aide.

"Freedom," replied the general, "and I've known only a few men brave enough to take it."

Wow!  All I can say is WOW! (to borrow from the last blog)

When I heard Laurie telling this story, I thought, “Ha, I’d have chosen the black door.”  Maybe you thought the same thing.  But would we really?  We all lean towards the familiar.  Who likes being uncomfortable?!  Not me.  Heck, I’ve got my pink bath robe on right now and it’s not even cold in my house!

Well, after hearing this I’m going to think twice about choosing what’s familiar and what’s unknown.  How about you?  What have you chosen recently that was unknown but had a happy ending?  Share this story with someone and talk about what Freedom means to you.

Next time: The Ride of your LIFE: Part 3.

“We all have a fear of the unknown, what one does with that fear will make all the difference in the world.”  Lillian Russell