The DASH...

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of his friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning…to the end. He noted that first came the date of her birth & spoke of the second with tears, but he said that what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive on earth, & now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own: the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live & love & how we spend our dash. So think about this long & hard, are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left (you could be at “dash mid-range.”) If we could slow down enough to consider what’s true & what’s real, & always try to understand the way other people feel. And…be less quick to anger, & show appreciation more, & love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before. If we treat each other with respect & more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while. So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash… Would you be pleased with the things they say about how you spent your dash?

I’m reading this book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Towards the end of the book is a section called: Is this what I want to be doing when Christ comes back? If you’ll let me, I’d like to share a little bit of what Francis says… What will people say about your life in heaven? Will people speak of God’s work & glory through you? And even more important, how will you answer the King when He says, “What did you do with what I gave you?” At the end of my life I want to say, along with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…” 2 Timothy 4:7-8. Remember people are watching you. They look to us to give them something to believe. They are looking at us to be light in a dark world. We are called to be set apart & to be different. As people retire from their job, we don’t retire from the Christian life. Everyone without Christ is a mission field, the missionary is everyone with Christ. Are you pleased with the way you’re spending your dash? More importantly, is God pleased with the way you’re spending your dash?