There’s a Fork on Your Jacket!

Today’s post is back by popular demand. For those of you who need a laugh and a lesson in life…ENJOY!

I often tell my friends I’m here for their entertainment. I’m either doing something goofy that cracks them up or I’m just entertaining myself and cracking myself up. The story you’re about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent-except for mine and my husband’s. πŸ™‚

It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and we were making our annual trip to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. Undaunted by our inability to find a tree that could rival the Griswald’s, we made our way to Lowe’s and began to survey the award-winning selection. And there it was! Glowing. As if angels were singing and a halo of light displayed it’s glistening beauty. “Yes sir, we’ll take that one!”

Donald had to stay to assure the tree would be properly trimmed, bagged and prepared for the truck. My job was to take the price tag to the cashier and pay for our prized possession. As I stood there talking to the cashier as if I had just had dinner with her family last week, I began to notice she was staring at me with the strangest look on her face. She was visibly confused and I didn’t have a clue why. All of a sudden she spouted… “Is that a fok on yo jacket?” Now I was confused. All I could say was, “What?” The sweet lady behind the cash register began laughing, then blurted out, “There’s a fork on your jacket…You got a fork on your jacket!”

O.K., now I know I’m a little slow, but all I could think of was, “Did she just say I have a fork on my jacket?” Of course, Curious to see what she was talking about, I glanced down and found a shiny silver fork stuck to the magnets on the front of my jacket. Yes…there was a fork on my jacket. That sweet cashier and I began laughing uncontrollably in a moment of bonding that can only take place when you realize you’re too goofy to retain any semblance of pride.

I can’t remember how many places we had been before someone was willing to tell me there was a fork on my jacket, but I was thankful she did. As I walked away that night I was reminded that there are times when we walk through this life with moods, attitudes and even sin sticking out like a fork on our jacket. Maybe we don’t even know it, but it’s very obvious to others.

How many times have I walked around with anger, impatience, frustration or pride exposed for the world to see? How do I respond when someone points out my prominent problems…sins stuck on my soul…shining brightly, but not so beautifully?

I’ve learned a lot of lessons from that silly fork. Serious lessons from a hilarious situation.

1. Don’t walk around like I’ve got it all together. (We are all flawed people in need of a flawless God)

2. Check myself out Examine myself, my moods, my attitudes and my heart.

3. Deal with my issues privately before I go out in public and make a fool of myself.

4. Listen to others when they’re willing to point out issues I need to deal with that I may have been blinded to.

5. Get over it. When I fail, get it right and then get over it. Don’t carry yesterday’s failure into today’s potential.

How about you? How do you deal with the spiritual forks on your jacket? What other lessons can we learn from that silly fork on my jacket?

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17 Comments

  1. YAY! I've been waiting for this story to make it's blog debut!! πŸ™‚ So many great lessons, though, Stephanie. Thank you for sharing this!!! Especially love #5.

  2. Teri Lynne,
    Did I tell you about that silly story? I've been wanting to write that for awhile now, but I just got around to it. There were so many lessons for that embarrassing experience, but I figured I'd quit at 5. Glad that was your favorite. πŸ™‚

  3. Great post! I once walked around all day with a sock stuck to the back of my leg!! I was lazy and didn't want to iron so I threw the pants in the dryer for a while! That will teach me to cut corners!!

  4. Stephanie, that is just hilarious! I wish you'd snapped a picture of it. I'm having thoughts of forked tongues and sharp tines . . .

  5. girl…I understand. I'm afraid I walk around with the entire drawer of silverware stuck on my jacket most days! πŸ˜‰

    Thanks for reminding us to “check ourselves” and be willing to hear the truth…even if it causes us a little bit of embarrassment.

    hugs,
    Donna

    p.s. if you know of any young writers, there are some writing/subbing opportunities on my blog today!

  6. It is always a blessing when God puts someone in our path who is bold enough to point out our 'forks' in a gentle and loving manner. So often, the enemy will bring negative thoughts to mind. But just like that fork, it is stuck to you, not part of you, as His Holy Spirit is living in you now and you can just take it off! How awesome is that?

  7. Katharine Trauger said…

    But now I want to know if it was a clean fork or a dirty one, because if my “clean” faults are showing, I don't mind so much as if folks think I might have dirty ones somewhere. You know, the faults and flaws that no one accepts, as opposed to the nice, acceptable ones that everyone has.
    (Posted for Katharine from our writer's group comments) Thanks for adding to the lessons we learn while laughing. πŸ˜‰

  8. Love this line: “Don't carry yesterday's failure into today's potential.” I lost an entire day yesterday grieving over what I thought was failure. Failure or not, I'll never get that time back. I'm back to my own “goofy” self today. From one goofy gal to another, I love your fork story! Thanks for sharing! :o)

  9. I love the way God takes the mundane or ridiculous situations in life and teachs us life changing principles.
    Makes me think back to the object lessons we had when I was a girl in Sunday School.
    Loved the story and the application. Now on to practicing it!
    Thanks, Stephanie!

  10. You all are great!!
    Jennie – The sock incident was hilarious. ALL DAY? I almost walked out of the house with my panties stuck to the back of my skirt once. That dryer!

    Sandra Heska King – A picture would have been a great idea. I should have just taken one and uploaded to the blog. I still have the jacket & the fork. πŸ™‚

    WordWrangler (Donna Earnhardt) – I must have only leaned over my counter and picked up one fork before I left the house. Good thing I didn't lean over the silverware drawer! I think listening to others that point out our spiritual forks on our jacket is one of the most difficult things to do. But necessary.

    Rose – Loved the “on us, not in us” analogy! Great take from the fork story! The Lord doesn't leave us on earth walking around with forks on our jackets, He exposes them and through the Holy Spirit, He gives us the power to get rid of them. AWESOME!

    Katharine Trauger – Another great take from the fork story! We all have forks- clean ones and dirty ones. I wonder what the response would have been if it was would have been dirty? Thanks for the insight Katharine.

    Maggie Sabtier-Smith – I'm so glad I'm not the only goofy girl! I've done the same thing. That's why I'm so glad the Lord tells us to confess, forget and move on with Him, by Him and through Him. πŸ™‚

    Melinda Lancaster – I do love how the Lord teaches us lessons through even the funny things in life. Living it out is the hard part. He's so good!

  11. This is a great story — true — and just the type of thing that would happen to me! The things you learned from it went way past the humor into wisdom!

  12. Hi Libby,
    I love that statement… “The things you learned from it went way past humor into wisdom.” Awesome! Isn't it funny how the Lord can use an situation as a teachable moment!

  13. That story is hysterical. The application is fantastic!

  14. Hi Nicole,
    I love that God can use the funny and unusual circumstances of life to teach us how to live for Him! πŸ™‚

    BTW…I love your blog!
    Steph
    Phil 3:7-14

  15. LOL! Oh, this is too funny! Just one thing I want to know…is your hubby blind?

  16. Hi Lynn, I really am such a goof! My hubby isn't blind…he's just a man. πŸ™‚ That cracked me up! I did ask him why he let me walk around town with a shiny silver fork stuck to the front of my jacket.

    He said he never saw it. Maybe he did and he just wanted to crack himself up by seeing how many people would notice. πŸ™‚

  17. LOL! I wondered if he had a sense a humor and did it on purpose…or maybe not! Hubbies really are vision selective, aren't they?

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