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, and many times people would be saved.
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 saving 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. Many women were saved. 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 ashot.
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,
norcrying; 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 here 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?"
Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio,
Texas. She
was the patient of 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.