When Death Looks Good

Andy Andrews is a remarkable author. His books are inspiring and engaging, and he always succeeds in offering a fresh perspective of life, a skill I think he has proudly developed and shared through his writings. I have read The Traveler's Gift, How Do You Kill 11 Million People? and The Heart Mender.  The Little Things, his most recent masterpiece, is in my possession and at the top of my reading list. But the book of his that I have probably enjoyed the most was The Noticer.

In this thoroughly captivating read, he conveys a fascinating story which illustrates the truth that, ultimately, the best is yet to come. Harrison Carpenter's death was not unusual, nothing strange occurred. However, the way in which he was buried intrigued the gazing onlookers, as his body was lowered into the ground. Everyone at the burial could easily see a curious object in his right hand: a dinner fork.

Obviously, this wasn't a random occurrence, and onlookers desired to know why he would desire to be buried with a dinner fork. The reason was located in his childhood. After his mother cleared the table following the family meal, she would instruct everyone to keep his fork. How come? Because she was about to bring out the dessert. In other words, the best was yet to come.

As Christians, our future is bright, for Jesus Christ is currently constructing mansions of grandeur in a heavenly city. However, we can become a bit disillusioned, since heaven seems to be a distant concept, a utopia that will never become a reality. Friend, the Bible speaks in unequivocal terms about the existence of a city that defies human description. Heaven will be a wonderful place, filled with God's glory and grace, saturated with incessant worship directed to the One who is worthy of ceaseless adoration. Be encouraged, my fellow brethren in the Lord, for the best is, indeed, yet to come.

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