Houdini

Houdini. Harry Houdini, actually, his name was really Ehrich Weisz. He was a famous escape artist who did incredible feats. One might wonder how a man could escape from chains in a matter of seconds. When Houdini was young he would take pieces of string and tie them to bits of potato, then he swallow the potato piece, but due to the string attached, it wouldn't go completely down his throat. Through this strategy, Houdini learned to swallow items but keep them held in his throat in order to cough them up at a later time to use.

When Houdini would perform an escape act, he would use his potato strategy to partially swallow small tools. He would then be searched before the act would begin and, of course, the tools would not be found.

One of his less daring, but still incredible acts, was to be locked up in jail cells, where it would be a matter of seconds before he escaped. Well one time he was brought to a cell and locked up. Immediately he started his act by first coughing up his lock-picking tool. Because his hands were also chained he used the small tool between his toes to reach through the bars and up to the lock He had done this hundreds of times and never had a problem escaping, but this time it didn't come so easy. He tried all his tricks on picking locks, tried different angles, tried his other foot, nothing worked. An hour passed. Then two. Then three. Then four. He was so exhausted that a pool of sweat had dripped from his body and finally when he slumped to the floor he fell in his own pool of sweat. Houdini couldn't believe himself or understand what had happened that he couldn't escape. In despair and embarrassment he fell back against the door of the cell...which swung open from his weight pressed against it. The door had never been locked.

In the same way, people all over the world work and work and work in their own strength to attempt to get to heaven, just as Houdini had confidently began his escape. What many people do not realize is that Jesus Christ has already unlocked the door to salvation by dying on the cross, being buried, and raising again three days later.

This story was told in class today by one of my teachers.