What Are You Doing With Your Chopsticks?

There is a story of a Korean general. He died, was judged, and assigned to paradise. But when he came up before St. Peter he thought of something he would like to do. He wanted to peep into hell for a moment, just to have an idea of it. “Right you are,“ said St. Peter.

So the general peeped in at the door of hell and saw an enormous banquet hall. In it were a number of long tables with bowls of rice and delicacies on them, well-flavored, smelling delicious, inviting. The guests were sitting there hungrily, opposite one another, each with a plate of food.

What was happening? The guests all had chopsticks which they had to use but these were so long that, however hard they tried, not a grain of rice could they get into their mouths. And this was their torment, this was hell. “I’ve seen it, that’s more than enough for me,“ said the general and went back to the gates of heaven, where he went in.

Inside, he saw the same banquet hall, the same tables, the same food, and the same long chopsticks. But the guests were cheerful, all of them smiling and laughing. Each one, having put the food onto his chopsticks, held it out to the mouth of his companion opposite, and so they managed to eat their fill.

This little story highlights a very important principle that I came across in Philippians yesterday:

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
- Philippians 2:1-4

God gives us chopsticks to act as a family and to serve one another. Unfortunately I hear many stories of people using their chopsticks to stab others in the back instead of serving them. In some ways I would say that I am guilty of this as well. We would do well to learn like the General in this story that if we are to know heaven let it begin by serving like Jesus here on earth.