Her children were understandably puzzled by that remark, and one of them couldn't contain his curiosity. "Mom," he said, "what are you talking about?" "I remember eating with my family when I was a young girl," the woman began, "Each of us would help clear away the dishes. Every once in a while, mom would tell us, 'Save your fork!' We children knew what that meant. It meant that mom had fixed us a pie or a cake or some sort of treat. When she said 'Save your fork!' that meant the best was yet to come. So I want to be buried with a fork in my hand, for the best is yet to come!"

It's a lovely story, a beautiful illustration of hope. In Spanish, the word "esperar" means "hope," but it also means "wait." You wait for a bus, and you hope it's coming; the same word is used in both cases. It's the same in the biblical languages. Our hope is built around the expectation of something that is to come.

The best is yet to come

The apostle Paul wrote to a group of new Christians in the city of Thessalonica, talking of the reputation these Christians had. He wrote, "They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven" (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). That's a beautiful description of a Christian's life: turning away from an old life, serving God and waiting for Jesus to come back. We have hope because we are waiting for someone. He will bring us something wonderful, a life without pain or sadness.

We have hope because we know the best is yet to come. We have hope because we are waiting, waiting for our Lord to come back. If you don't have this hope, you need to learn what we Christians are waiting for. Write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org or visit our blog on HopeForLife.org. Oh… and save your fork!

(Expressed written consent must be obtained prior to republishing, retransmitting or otherwise reusing the content of this article. Contact us at info@hopeforlife.org)

Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you, sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions about becoming a new creation.

 

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© 2009 Herald of Truth

Title: "Save Your Fork!"
Author: Tim Archer
Publication Date: September 23, 2009

Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, "Celebration of Discipline" explores the "classic Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith.

Tim works for Herald of Truth and writes for HopeForLife. He is the co-author of Letters From The Lamb. You can reach him by writing to tim@hopeforlife.org.

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