Choose A Door

How may doors do you go through each day? Most of the time we don’t even think about it as we step from one room to another, enter or leave a building, etc. When going to visit someone do you ever think of what you will
find on the other side of the door after knocking? Matthew 7:7-8 tells us that if we knock on Jesus’ door not only will he open it, he will give us the peace of salvation we are looking for. But, check out this excerpt from the story “The Door” that is in my new book “Deep Roots”. You’ll find that the doors we enter in this world aren’t exactly what the scripture was refering to!

And that brings us to Roy Greene’s famous story. Mr. Roy, a Dry Creek native, loved basketball. He had played on Dry Creek High’s famous undefeated 1931 state championship team, coached high school ball, and was the long time principal at Fenton High. He produced a line of great coaches including his son, Larry, and grandsons Mike and Chris Greene.
Mr. Roy loved the Sweet 16 State Girl’s Basketball Tournament, and never missed a game. On this particular year, it was held at the Lake Charles Civic Center. During a halftime break, Mr. Roy, who was near eighty, shuffled to the restroom, hurrying so as not to miss a minute of action on the court.
Maybe it was his eyesight, or his preoccupation with the game—
When he got to the door, he thought it was “Messieurs” but (I know you are ahead of me) instead, it was “Madames.” Mr. Roy did not realize his mistake until he was inside and saw two sobering sights: no urinals and a restroom full of women.
Of course, he did what any man would do: he discreetly retreated to the entrance door. However, there was no handle. He stood not quite sure what to do … and then did the only thing he knew to do—he shuffled along right through the restroom, parting the throng of startled women, and then out the exit door.
His son Larry, who watched from the lobby, said, “I saw him go in the wrong door and tried to catch him, but I was too late. When he came out the other end, I told him, ‘You ain’t nothing but a dirty old man’!”
Last week as I entered the Civic Center’s “Messieurs” restroom, I did a double take just to make sure. I laughed at the corresponding “Men” sign below the “Messieurs.”