| Life Support USA |
Keep Your Fork A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and given three months to live. As she was getting her things "in order", she contacted her pastor 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. "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 my years of church socials and potlucks, I remember that when the main course was being cleared, someone would inevitably 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 he 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 another favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor could not stop thinking about the fork and told them they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right. So the next time you reach for your fork, let it remind you that the best is yet to come. FINISHING STRONG by Max Lucado Remain. Hang in there. Finish. Stick to it until it is done. Unfortunately, very few of us do that. Our human tendency is to quit too soon. Our human tendency is to stop before we cross the finish line. Our inability to finish what we start is seen in the smallest of things: A partly mowed lawn. A half-read book. Letters begun but never completed. An abandoned diet. A car up on blocks. Or, it shows up in life's most painful areas: An abandoned child. A cold faith. A job hopper. A wrecked marriage. An unevangelized world. Am I touching some painful sores? Any chance I'm addressing someone who is considering giving up? If I am, I want to encourage you to remain. I want to encourage you to remember Jesus' determination on the cross. Jesus didn't quit. But don't think for one minute that he wasn't tempted to. Watch him wince as he hears his apostles backbite and quarrel. Look at him weep as he sits at Lazarus' tomb or hear him wail as he claws the ground of Gethsemane. Did he ever want to quit? You bet. That's why his words are so splendid. "It is finished." Are you close to quitting? Please don't do it. Are you discouraged as a parent? Hang in there. Are you pessimistic about your job? Roll up your sleeves and go at it again. No communication in your marriage? Give it one more shot. Can't resist temptation? Accept God's forgiveness and go one more round. Is your day framed with sorrow and disappointment? Are your tomorrows turning into nevers? Is hope a forgotten word? Remember, a finisher is not one with no wounds or weariness. Mother Teresa is credited with saying, "God didn't call us to be successful, just faithful." The Land of Promise, says Jesus, awaits those who endure (Matthew 0:22). It is not just for those who make the victory laps or drink champagne. No sir. The Land of Promise is for those who remain to the end. Let's endure.
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