The Best is yet to come!


Luke 14:27, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (NIV)

Upon entering the sanctuary, on the last day of revival, each worship participant was given a plastic fork. Soft murmurs could be heard through out the sanctuary as everyone tried to guess what the meaning behind the fork could be. Not only was it the culmination of a wonderful week of revival but it was Homecoming Sunday with a cover dish lunch waiting in the fellowship hall! I knew I could make good use of my fork in the near future!

Late into the sermon, Mike Pinnery, our revival preacher, revealed the purpose of the fork by relating the following story. There was a woman dying of cancer and she went to her Pastor to make her funeral arrangements. After picking out the scripture, hymns, and the pall bearers, she prepared to leave. Just before walking out of the Pastor’s office, she said “Oh, I almost forgot the two most important things. I want to be in an open casket and I want to have my Bible in one hand and a silver fork in the other hand.” The Pastor smiled, looked a little puzzled and said, “I understand wanting your Bible with you, but what the significance of the fork is baffles me?” The woman smiled and explained. “When I was a little girl and my mother would clear the dishes from the dinner table, whenever she said, “keep your fork”, I knew the best was yet to come!” The Pastor nodded his head in understanding. The woman continued…”when people ask why I have the fork in my hand, I want you to tell them that I’ve gone where the best is, and I hope to see them there!”

The revival preacher challenged us to take our plastic forks with us to work, school or wherever we went the next day and share the story with anyone whom asks why we had a fork with us. The story really inspired me so I took it a step further and went home that evening and took one of my sterling silver forks and a hammer and made a slide for a necklace out of it. I wore it to work for the next few days. Talk about a witnessing tool! I had at least 50 opportunities to share the “fork story” and so much more just by wearing the fork around my neck.

One such opportunity occurred on my third day of wearing the silver fork. It Was Wednesday and I was working in Raleigh with Services for the Blind. My Supervisor, who is Jewish, asked, and I quote, “Lisa, are you wearing your fork in case you get hungry and don’t have anything to eat with?” He thought he was being funny so I laughed and said “no, actually Larry, there is a story behind the fork, would you like to hear it?” He said “yes”. I smiled for I knew he had just taken the bait! I proceeded to tell him the story. Larry’s response was negative. He said, “Lisa, the best is here and now. It doesn’t get any better than this.” I said Oh, Larry, I beg to differ. As a Christian, I believe the best is yet to come. Quite honestly, if I thought this world was all there was, I wouldn’t want to get up in the morning. The Bible promises me a home in heaven with no more pain and suffering, peace and harmony with everyone…and the list goes on.” I said, Larry, think about our students we teach. Look at Natasha over there. She has just come from dialysis. I’m told she can barely hold her head up. What about Sandra? She has just lost her vision, her husband has walked out on her and she is left alone to raise three teenage girls. Do you really want me to tell her this is as good as it gets? Everyone in here is blind or going blind. Some of them have lost their spouse due to their vision loss, their families are having problems dealing with the changes in their lives, their health is declining and the list goes on. Do you want me to honestly tell them that today is the best there is?” There was silence for a little while. I then continued. “Larry, if I can tell these students that the skills I am teaching them today will make their tomorrow better, and the skills I’ll teach them next week will make their future weeks and months better, then they have a reason to get up in the morning, to try and come to class and to look forward to what tomorrow will bring.” I continued to tell Larry how we all need something to look forward to each day, that on days when life is so difficult and we don’t want to go on, we need to know that the “best is yet to come! Larry walked away and I offered a prayer that God’s words would be heard and honored. In just a few minutes, Larry called me over and asked me to share the “Fork story, without preaching!” with the entire class! Isn’t our Lord good. He used the compassion of a Jewish man for his clients and the boldness of a blind woman wearing a real silver dessert fork around her neck to share His word with a group of hurting people. God is good…all the time! Lisa Shearin