An email was sent to me by a family member. I am constantly on the lookout for stories to use for sermon illustrations and I anticipated this would be another inspiring story to add to my collection. The title was “A Sweet Story”. I was not prepared for the content, to say the least.
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Here’s the email story:
A very old man lay dying in his bed. In death’s doorway, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookie wafting up the stairs. He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.
With labored breath, he leaned against the doorframe, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death’s agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven.
There, spread out on newspapers on the kitchen table, were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?
Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. The aged and withered hand, shaking, made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when his wife suddenly smacked him with a spatula.
“Stay out of those,” she said. “They’re for the funeral.”
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Now, the reason my relative sent this story is because it takes one of our family jokes to the extreme. My wife has frequently shooed me away from some of my favorite goodies in the kitchen because they are “reserved” for a party or church potluck. I tell her she fixes all the good stuff for other people – never for me!
While the email’s title, “A Sweet Story,” was more than a little misleading, it nonetheless makes a point, albeit an accidental one. It is possible to be so focused on an event that you miss a person.
- I realize this is a bit of a stretch, but humor me for a moment (mainly because I enjoyed that story so much). My point is that there are people who are so focused on the when, the how, and on the cataclysm of the Second Coming that they totally miss the fact that the Second Coming is about a person, Jesus Christ.
When the focus of attention is on the Time of Trouble rather than on reunion with Jesus, the entire point of the Second Coming has been missed. Jesus is returning to rescue those who love Him. He will take them to be with Himself forever!
So, take a little focus off the event itself, or even the things that lead up to the event. Let’s focus on the “Person” of the event. Let’s focus on Jesus.
With Love,
Mike
