THE STORY OF EDITH BURNS...
Happy Easter!
Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San
Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will
Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people.
His favorite patient was Edith Burns.
One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it
was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room,
there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a
young mother sitting beside her.
Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way:
'Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?' Then
she would explain the meaning of Easter.
Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the
head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking
her blood pressure. Edith began by saying, 'My name is Edith
Burns. Do you believe in Easter?'
Beverly said, 'Why yes I do.' Edith said, 'Well, what do you believe about
Easter?' Beverly said, 'Well, it's all about egg hunts,
going to church, and dressing up.' Edith kept pressing her
about the real meaning of Easter, and finally led her to a
knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Dr. Phillips said, 'Beverly, don't call Edith into
the office quite yet. I believe there is another
delivery taking place in the waiting room.
After being called back in the doctor's office , Edith
sat down and when she took a look at the doctor she said,
'Dr. Will, why are you so sad?
Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?'
Dr. Phillips said gently, 'Edith, I'm the doctor
and you're the patient.' With a heavy heart he said,
'Your lab report came back and it says you have cancer,
and Edith, you're not going to live very long.'
Edith said, 'Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are
you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes?
You have just told me I'm going to see my
precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends.
You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever,
and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!'
Dr. Phillips thought to himself, 'What a magnificent
woman this Edith Burns is!'
Edith continued coming to Dr. Phillips. Christmas came and
the office was closed through January 3rd.
On the day the office opened, Edith did not
show up. Later that afternoon, Edith called Dr. Phillips
and said she would have to be moving her story to the hospital
and said, 'Will, I'm very near home, so would you make sure that
they put women in here next to me in my room who need to know about
Easter.'
Well, they did just that and women began to come in and share that
room with Edith. Everybody on that floor from staff
to patients were so excited about Edith, that they started
calling her Edith Easter; that is everyone except Phyllis Cross, the
head nurse.
Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with
Edith because she was a 'religious nut'. She had been a nurse in
an army hospital . She had seen it all and heard it all.
She was the original G.I. Jane. She had been married three times,
she was hard, cold, and did everything by the book.
One morning the two nurses who were to attend to Edith were
sick.
Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross had to go in and give
her a shot.
When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and
said, 'Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have been
praying for you.'
Phyllis Cross said, 'Well, you can quit praying for me,
it won't work. I'm not interested.'
Edith said, 'Well, I will pray and I have asked God not
to let me go home until you come into the family.'
Phyllis Cross said, 'Then you will never die because
that will never happen,' and curtly walked out of the room.
Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith
would say, 'God loves you Phyllis and I love you, and I'm
praying for you.'
One day Phyllis Cross said she was literally drawn to
Edith's room like a magnet would draw iron. She sat down
on the bed and Edith said, 'I'm so glad you have come,
because God told me that today is your special day'
Phyllis Cross said, 'Edith, you have asked everybody
here the question, 'Do you believe in Easter but you
have never asked me.'
Edith said, 'Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God
told me to wait until you asked, and now that you have asked.'
Edith Burns took her Bible and shared with Phyllis Cross
the Easter Story of the death, burial and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Edith said, 'Phyllis, do you believe
in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and
that He wants to live in your heart?'
Phyllis Cross said, 'Oh I want to believe that with all
of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life
'Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and
invited Jesus Christ into her heart. For the first time
Phyllis Cross did not walk out of a hospital room,
she was carried out on the wings of angels.
Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said,
‘Do you know what day it is?' Phyllis Cross said, 'Why Edith,
it's Good Friday.'
Edith said, 'Oh, no, for you every day is Easter.
Happy Easter Phyllis!'
Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into
work, did some of her duties and then went down to the
flower shop and got some Easter lilies because
she wanted to go up to see Edith and give her some
Easter lilies and wish her a Happy Easter.
When she walked into Edith's room, Edith was in bed.
That big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible.
There was a sweet smile on her face. When Phyllis Cross went to pick up
Edith's hand, she realized Edith was dead. Her left hand was on John 14:
'In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am,
there you may be also.' Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4,
'And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
there shall be no more death nor sorrow, nor crying;
and there shall be no more pain, for the former
things have passed away.'
Phyllis Cross took one look at that dead body, and then
lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down her cheeks,
said, 'Happy Easter, Edith – Happy Easter!'
Phyllis Cross left Edith's body, walked out of the room,
and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting. She said,
'My name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?'
'Father, bless this person in whatever it is that You
know he or she may be needing this day'
