KEEP
YOUR FORK

Topics: Heaven; Hope; Resurrection

Reference: Philippians 1:21–24

A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness. As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and asked him to come to her house to discuss some of her final wishes.

She told him the songs she wanted sung at her funeral service, the Scriptures she wanted read, and the outfit she wanted to be buried in. She also asked to be buried with her favorite Bible.

As the pastor prepared to leave, the woman remembered something else. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.

“What’s that?” said the pastor.

“I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”

The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing what to say.

The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew something better was coming—like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.

“So when people see me in that casket with a fork in my hand and they ask, ‘What’s with the fork?’ I want you to tell them, ‘Keep your fork. The best is yet to come!’ ”

—Brett Kays, Brownstown, Michigan

PART 14: HELPING OTHERS