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Blog Inspirational

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 her 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 favourite 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 explain, “in all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course 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 goodbye. 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 and her favourite 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, oh so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Story via Diply
Image via Flickr

Categories
Blog Inspirational

Its all about patience!

God recently spoke to me on how little time I spend with him. I even hear Him right before the end my prayer, very lovingly, soft whisper in my ears saying, “Son, don’t leave just yet…please spend more time with me”. That gets me all the time. I end up waiting on him for a few more minutes.

Recently, I purchased a gift for a very dear friend of mine. She lives in US while I am in New Zealand. We didn’t talk to each other for years. But when I’ve found her on facebook, I’ve tried really hard to get back that closeness we had.

We loved each others company (atleast I thought so) and were practically best friends. Anyway, to cut the story short, she rejected my gift. I felt heart broken because I really wanted us to be close friends again but I hear God saying, its all about patience.

So many times in our lives, we want things to work out fast. We want our careers to progress quickly. We want instant miracles just like instant coffee. But God is saying, “Wait for it”. None of like waiting, let alone waiting on God. So what does the bible say about patience or waiting or perseverance.

In James 1:3-4, it says “because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”. God is saying we will NOT lack anything. That sounds like a good deal to me.

When we ask God for something, we believe He has already given it to us (that’s faith – believing what we do not see). So why don’t we have it yet? Because our faith is being tested. It produces patience. When patience finishes its work in us, we will not lack the things we asked of him.

In other words, God is preparing you in every dimension you can possible think of, to hold on to that blessing he is about to provide you. Lets consider ourselves as a clay pot. The potter takes his time to mould and shape the pot slowly all the way to the top. Only when he is satisfied, will he allow it to be used by others.

Likewise, our creator is slowly shaping us, molding us and correcting us according to His good pleasure. When He is done with us, we will able to contain His blessings. The clay pot’s capacity to contain water is always inline with its size. The bigger the size, the more it can hold the blessings of God. Great size equates to a longer wait time.