The following is a fictional story I shared a few years ago, but I thought it was a good reminder for this time of year. A man who had just arrived in heaven and, after he got there, he asked one of the angels if he could have a glimpse into Hades so that he could better appreciate Heaven. In Hades he saw a huge banquet table. The table was covered with all the delicious food a person could imagine. Yet, everyone who was sitting around it was starving. The man asked the angel why the people did not eat. The angel explained that they are required to take the food from the table with four-foot-long forks. The forks are so long that the people cannot manage to get the food from the table to their mouth, so they are slowly dying.

Saddened by the sight the man returned to heaven and upon arrival he saw the exact same table. It, too, was filled with all the delicious food you could think of, but the people sitting around the table weren’t starving. They were all well feed. The man said to the angel, “In Heaven, they must have shorter forks!” “No, the same four-foot forks,” the angel replied. “I don’t understand,” the man said. “Why is it that they are not starving to death like the people in Hades; they seem happy and well fed?” The angel explained, “In heaven, the people use the long forks to feed each other.”

Let’s slow down and take the opportunities we have to feed other people. We might just end up getting fed in return.