Stewardship of a Dash
I love my pastor. A month ago he shared an anecdote illuminating a truth that buried itself deep within my heart…it caused me to put pen to paper and scribble furiously; sparking a proverbial “Aha! moment.” (Good pastors tend to do that. In my opinion, it’s what makes them effective.)
He talked about recently walking through a local cemetery, noting the headstones and their marked commonality. Apart from flowing verses, heartfelt tributes and etched designs, every headstone gave the same four pieces of information: A name, the date the individual was born and the date of their death, separated by a dash. He was instantly struck by the fact that out of those four pieces of information…we have nothing to say about three.
We don’t pick our name. We don’t choose the day we are brought forth from our mother into this world…or the day of our departure from it.
I anticipated his next words before they left his mouth, and by the time they rang out through the quiet sanctuary, the truth of them had already settled powerfully in my heart.
“All we are left with…is a dash.”
Our entire life is summed up in that one little mark of punctuation. The choices we make and the manner in which we react to and handle life’s set of circumstances are encompassed in what would at first seem to be a rather insignificant mark.
The past few weeks have brought circumstances into my life which have sadly reminded me of life's brevity. And while some people’s dashes encompass a longer time span than others…the length of one’s life has little to do with its impact for eternity.
I think most people would unanimously agree that one who loves much, risks much and gives much has lived a life of influence. Things like being a good mother/father, doing business honorably and living philanthropically also tend to make the list. Really, one could go on and on with characteristics of an honorable life. The bottom line is that it doesn’t happen by accident.
I’m learning that life is best lived INTENTIONALLY. In my desperation to be a good steward of my dash I am trying to become more metacognitive about how I live; wrestle with my life’s mission statement and then live it out. I need to pay attention to the events that I spend my time on…and become aware of how I am shaping that dash.
Because the bottom line is that our dash is very short when compared to the span of eternity that will follow our final day here on earth. And when it comes down to it…only what is done for eternity will last. No matter how hard you strive to fill your dash with honorable, philanthropic, even heroic deeds…nothing matters in the end outside of who you've surrendered your life to. And I believe it matters in this life too. The Bible says, “God has set eternity in the hearts of men…”meaning there is a hole in every person’s heart that will always feel empty…longing to be filled, until surrendered to God through His son, Jesus. You know that’s true, because you feel that hole. And surrendering to self never seems to make it go away.
I do not know when that final day on my headstone will come. So I best not wait around to fill my dash with all the good things I hope it will represent. I don’t want to let too many minutes pass without hugging my children, telling them how great I think they are, how much they are loved by Jesus and that He has an incredible plan for their life if they’ll only surrender their dash to Him. I best get busy ensuring every minute is lived for Jesus.
And that, in itself, is a whole lot to pack into one little dash.
NOTE**This post is dedicated to the memory of my cousin, Kyle Thigpen, who passed away suddenly on August 17th in Aurora, Colorado; leaving behind a beautiful wife, and a well-loved 16month old daughter. To me, he left memories of learning to ski at Lake Louise and an unwavering devotion to the Calgary Flames (even though an American and NOT from Calgary!). He was enthusiastic about doing things he loved, determined and persistent in reaching goals, and unreservedly loyal and positive. Most importantly though…he believed John 14:6. A good steward of his dash…
He talked about recently walking through a local cemetery, noting the headstones and their marked commonality. Apart from flowing verses, heartfelt tributes and etched designs, every headstone gave the same four pieces of information: A name, the date the individual was born and the date of their death, separated by a dash. He was instantly struck by the fact that out of those four pieces of information…we have nothing to say about three.
We don’t pick our name. We don’t choose the day we are brought forth from our mother into this world…or the day of our departure from it.
I anticipated his next words before they left his mouth, and by the time they rang out through the quiet sanctuary, the truth of them had already settled powerfully in my heart.
“All we are left with…is a dash.”
Our entire life is summed up in that one little mark of punctuation. The choices we make and the manner in which we react to and handle life’s set of circumstances are encompassed in what would at first seem to be a rather insignificant mark.
The past few weeks have brought circumstances into my life which have sadly reminded me of life's brevity. And while some people’s dashes encompass a longer time span than others…the length of one’s life has little to do with its impact for eternity.
I think most people would unanimously agree that one who loves much, risks much and gives much has lived a life of influence. Things like being a good mother/father, doing business honorably and living philanthropically also tend to make the list. Really, one could go on and on with characteristics of an honorable life. The bottom line is that it doesn’t happen by accident.
I’m learning that life is best lived INTENTIONALLY. In my desperation to be a good steward of my dash I am trying to become more metacognitive about how I live; wrestle with my life’s mission statement and then live it out. I need to pay attention to the events that I spend my time on…and become aware of how I am shaping that dash.
Because the bottom line is that our dash is very short when compared to the span of eternity that will follow our final day here on earth. And when it comes down to it…only what is done for eternity will last. No matter how hard you strive to fill your dash with honorable, philanthropic, even heroic deeds…nothing matters in the end outside of who you've surrendered your life to. And I believe it matters in this life too. The Bible says, “God has set eternity in the hearts of men…”meaning there is a hole in every person’s heart that will always feel empty…longing to be filled, until surrendered to God through His son, Jesus. You know that’s true, because you feel that hole. And surrendering to self never seems to make it go away.
I do not know when that final day on my headstone will come. So I best not wait around to fill my dash with all the good things I hope it will represent. I don’t want to let too many minutes pass without hugging my children, telling them how great I think they are, how much they are loved by Jesus and that He has an incredible plan for their life if they’ll only surrender their dash to Him. I best get busy ensuring every minute is lived for Jesus.
And that, in itself, is a whole lot to pack into one little dash.
NOTE**This post is dedicated to the memory of my cousin, Kyle Thigpen, who passed away suddenly on August 17th in Aurora, Colorado; leaving behind a beautiful wife, and a well-loved 16month old daughter. To me, he left memories of learning to ski at Lake Louise and an unwavering devotion to the Calgary Flames (even though an American and NOT from Calgary!). He was enthusiastic about doing things he loved, determined and persistent in reaching goals, and unreservedly loyal and positive. Most importantly though…he believed John 14:6. A good steward of his dash…
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