Having It All Figured Out

Author Unknown

A wealthy woman was serving a life sentence in prison. Angry and resentful about her plight, she resolved that she would rather die than to live the rest of her life in prison.

Over the years she had become friendly with one of the prison caretakers whose job, among others, was to bury dead prisoners in a graveyard outside the prison walls. When a prisoner died, the caretaker would ring a bell which everyone would hear to announce the death of an inmate. The caretaker would then place the dead body in a casket. Next, he entered his office to fill out the death certificate before returning to the casket to nail the lid shut. Finally, he put the casket on a wagon to take it to the graveyard for burial.

Now familiar with this routine, the woman devised an escape plan which she shared with the caretaker: The next time the bell rings, she would leave her cell and sneak into the dark room where the coffins were kept. She would then slip into the coffin with the dead body while the caretaker is filling out the death certificate. When the caretaker returns, he would nail the lid and take the coffin outside the prison with the woman inside alongside the dead body. He would then bury the coffin.

They had both arranged for special vents in the coffin so there would be enough air for her to breathe until later in the evening when the caretaker would return to the graveyard under the cover of darkness to dig up the coffin, open it, and set her free. She would also carry along a small flashlight to enable her see in the darkness.

The caretaker was initially reluctant to go along with this plan, but since he and the woman had become good friends over the years, and knowing that he stands to gain a lot from this wealthy woman, he eventually agreed to do it.

The woman waited several weeks before someone died in the prison. She was asleep in her cell when she heard the death bell ring. She got up and slowly walked down the hallway. She was nearly caught a couple of times. Her heart was beating fast. She opened the door to the darkened room where the coffins were kept. Quietly in the dark, she found the coffin that contained the dead body, carefully climbed into the coffin and pulled the lid shut to wait for the caretaker to come and nail the lid.

Soon she heard footsteps and the pounding of hammer and nails. Even though she was very uncomfortable in the coffin with the dead body, she knew that with each nail she was one step closer to freedom. The coffin was lifted onto the wagon and taken to the graveyard outside. She could feel the coffin being lowered into the ground. She didn’t make a sound as the coffin hit the bottom of the grave with a thud.

Finally, she heard the dirt dropping onto the top of the wooden coffin, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before she would be free at last. After several minutes of absolute silence, she began to laugh gleefully feeling free already and chanting that he was free!

Feeling curious, she decided to light the flashlight to find out the identity of the dead prisoner beside her. To her horror, she discovered that it was her caretaker friend, her only hope to freedom, lying next to her!

Many people go around believing they have life all figured out; that they are well connected and can orchestrate people and situations to suit their whims. But sometimes things just don’t turn out the way they planned it. It is always best to have a Plan B.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of what they have. But then, even the best fails. Only God never fails.

Meditation: O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. – Jeremiah 10:23

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!