Picture in your mind a high, windswept cliff overlooking a deep canyon. From the top, it’s impossible to see into the seemingly bottomless abyss below.
At the top of the cliff, a small crowd has gathered. Minutes before, a solitary, simply dressed man had approached and gotten their attention. He is curiously carrying a large, red toolbox.
“In just a few minutes, I’ll be jumping off the edge of the cliff,” the man said.
A loud gasp rippled through the crowd. A voice shouted, “Are you crazy? You’ll get yourself killed!” Others chimed in:“Don’t do it!”“Hey, mister, whatever the problem is, there’s got to be another solution!”“You’re throwing your life away!”
The man raised a hand to speak, and the crowd grew silent.
“I know you think I am insane, and what I’m about to do probably is, to a degree,” he began. “But they’re a couple things you need to know.
“First, I’m not the first to jump off this cliff,” he continued. “In fact, it happens many, many times every day.” The crowd murmured, with some pressing a little closer and some taking a step back.
“Sometimes there are groups like this watching, and sometimes not,” the man said. “Some watching want and even hope the person will plunge and not make it. Yet others pray the person will somehow avoid certain disaster, and offer what encouragement they can.
“Second, whatever the reason that brings them to the edge, the people who take this leap share a few things in common,” he said. “They’re at a point in their lives when they feel they have no choice but to jump into the void. Life has driven them to the precipice, and they are eventually willing, despite all fear and doubt and despair, to take the plunge.
“Finally, each person stands at the edge with a toolbox, much like this,” the man said. He held up the shiny, red toolbox. “Inside each person’s box is a unique set of tools. No two sets are alike. But each literally holds the keys to their future—whether their leap ends dashed on the rocks, or whether they are able to build wings and fly.”
A woman from the crowd interrupted. “That is ridiculous!” she said. “Once you take a leap like that, no one can possibly use ‘tools’ to save themselves, much less ‘fly!’”
The man looked at the woman, and then around at the others, and smiled.
“Fortunately, this is not just any ordinary toolbox,” he said. “For the ‘tools’ represent all the talents and qualities that make up each person’s life—their attitude about success and failure, their willingness to let go, their belief in themselves, and so on. And even for people who seemingly lack any special knowledge or skills, often there is real magic that takes place, enabling them to save themselves and even others!”
The man was silent, and let his words sink in. Then, he picked up the box and turned to face the edge. Suddenly, and without looking back, he went over and was gone in a flash.
The people rushed to the edge, waiting and listening and wondering what fate would bring the crazy man with the red toolbox.
At the top of the cliff, a small crowd has gathered. Minutes before, a solitary, simply dressed man had approached and gotten their attention. He is curiously carrying a large, red toolbox.
“In just a few minutes, I’ll be jumping off the edge of the cliff,” the man said.
A loud gasp rippled through the crowd. A voice shouted, “Are you crazy? You’ll get yourself killed!” Others chimed in:“Don’t do it!”“Hey, mister, whatever the problem is, there’s got to be another solution!”“You’re throwing your life away!”
The man raised a hand to speak, and the crowd grew silent.
“I know you think I am insane, and what I’m about to do probably is, to a degree,” he began. “But they’re a couple things you need to know.
“First, I’m not the first to jump off this cliff,” he continued. “In fact, it happens many, many times every day.” The crowd murmured, with some pressing a little closer and some taking a step back.
“Sometimes there are groups like this watching, and sometimes not,” the man said. “Some watching want and even hope the person will plunge and not make it. Yet others pray the person will somehow avoid certain disaster, and offer what encouragement they can.
“Second, whatever the reason that brings them to the edge, the people who take this leap share a few things in common,” he said. “They’re at a point in their lives when they feel they have no choice but to jump into the void. Life has driven them to the precipice, and they are eventually willing, despite all fear and doubt and despair, to take the plunge.
“Finally, each person stands at the edge with a toolbox, much like this,” the man said. He held up the shiny, red toolbox. “Inside each person’s box is a unique set of tools. No two sets are alike. But each literally holds the keys to their future—whether their leap ends dashed on the rocks, or whether they are able to build wings and fly.”
A woman from the crowd interrupted. “That is ridiculous!” she said. “Once you take a leap like that, no one can possibly use ‘tools’ to save themselves, much less ‘fly!’”
The man looked at the woman, and then around at the others, and smiled.
“Fortunately, this is not just any ordinary toolbox,” he said. “For the ‘tools’ represent all the talents and qualities that make up each person’s life—their attitude about success and failure, their willingness to let go, their belief in themselves, and so on. And even for people who seemingly lack any special knowledge or skills, often there is real magic that takes place, enabling them to save themselves and even others!”
The man was silent, and let his words sink in. Then, he picked up the box and turned to face the edge. Suddenly, and without looking back, he went over and was gone in a flash.
The people rushed to the edge, waiting and listening and wondering what fate would bring the crazy man with the red toolbox.
