The Best is Yet to Come!
There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal
illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her
things "in order," she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to
discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she
wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what
outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried
with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was
preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very
important to her.
"There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's
that?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very important," the woman
continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor
stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises
you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the
request," said the pastor. The woman explained. "In all my years of
attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when
the dishes of the main courses were being cleared, someone would inevitably
lean over and say, "Keep your fork." It was my favorite part because I knew
that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish
apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people
to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to
wonder, "What's with the fork?". Then I want you to tell them:" Keep your
fork.... the best is yet to come." The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of
joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last
times h would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had
a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was
coming.
At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they
saw the pretty dress she was wearing, her favorite Bible, and the fork
placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question
"What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the
pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly
before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it
symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking
about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop
thinking about it either. He was right. So the next time you reach down for
your fork, let it remind you ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.
Ceilings - Drop - Acustical - Suspended - Tiles - Grid
Sponsors
Copyright (c) 1996-
All Rights Reserved.