Today is the day that I’ve been waiting for, for 6 months. The story of the 300 Spartans fighting insurmountable odds as recorded by Herodotus (the father of written history). I think this story captures a rare quality found or even a value that is rarely emphasized – sacrifice. If you’re not familiar with the story, Greece was in danger of being run over by a million man army of Persians. Their political climate had each city state living in isolationism form the others and when the giant threat came to Greece, the leaders knew that they had to adjust if they wanted a chance to survive and not become slaves of King Xerxes. Because Leonidas gave his word to fight, he essentially sealed the fate of he and his men. Fight they would and in what would result in the most incredible 3 days of fighting, the Spartan warriors trounced the Persians.

Betrayal found the mighty Spartans on the third day and they were flanked by a large group of Perisans who were led over a mountain pass by a Greek shepherd boy to attack them from the rear. “Never get involved in a 2 fronted war” is what I’ve always been told and that’s what the Spartans found themselves in.

The sacrifice of these men for their families, for their country inspired a nation to fight against the invading Persians but also to trounce them so bad that they never again ventured into Europe.

So many men will today be inspired by sacrifice – what inspires you?