The Dash

None of us are going to get out of here alive, unless the Rapture occurs!  One day, as surely as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, we will “go the way of all the earth” (1 Kings 2:2a).  When our time comes, it won’t matter how much money we have in the bank, what kind of home we live in or the make and model of our car.  Someone said, “I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul!”  Only one thing will matter on that day:  A personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The following poem was written by an anonymous writer, which beautifully conveys what’s really important when we leave this earth.

I’m Glad You’re in My Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

Her referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth,

And spoke of the following dates with tears.

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth…

And 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 and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real,

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

And more often wear a smile…

Remembering that this special dash

May last only a little while.

So, when your eulogy’s being read

With your life’s actions to rehash…

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?

Remember, life is not as much about how many years you live, but how you live your years.  What stories will your dash tell?  As for me, I choose to give my years to Jesus, and touch as many lives as I can.

Regardless of how many years I’m given, I want always to “look to the rock from which I was cut, and to the quarry from which I was hewn” (Isaiah 51:1b).  I’ve learned that an occasional glance backwards helps me keep today in a balanced perspective.  However, I dare not look back too long, as I may get stuck in the past!  Some traditions are good, but generally speaking, tradition is where God was.  I want to be where God is!

Why not take a few moments to reflect back over your life?  Who has touched you in amazing ways?  If they’re still around, let them know!  What events and places have shaped you?  Re-visit them, if only in your mind.  In the near future, I plan to drive by my childhood home on Maple Road in Jefferson; and then to my maternal grandparents’ home on Anderson Road in Pierpont.  Two places that shaped my life!