The Dash

" Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

Present Day-North Texas

A few days ago as I was visiting with a pastor friend of mine, our discussion turned to things God has shown us on our journey through life. As we were discussing things about our lives we turned our attention to the times we had visited friends and aquaintences at the cemetary. How sad it is we both thought how this final place of rest was also a place of unfulfilled dreams, promises and unfinished plans. Lives of those interred there summed up with a date of birth and a date of death, attached together by a simple dash. That dash representing their lives with only our Heavenly Father and their families knowing what type of life that dash represented. As I thought about my dash I could not help but ask myself, have I done all I could for others, has my life here impacted others, have I made a difference? Do I truly reflect My God? Do people I meet see Jesus in me and my life? Have I been the example God intended me to be when he laid out the plans for my life? You see our legacy lies not in why and where we lived, but in how we lived. How we raised our children, how we served others and more importantly how we have honored God, not with what we say, but with what we do. You see God knows the plans he made for you, but the choice to follow his plans is up to us.

The rest of the story...
As I think about life and choices, I think about all the things I could have have done differently. All the struggles I have endured, the hardships, yet they pale in comparison to what Jesus did for me and for you. He gave his all so that we have a choice on how to live our dash. Don't waste time wondering about what could be, instead do something with what time you have, make a difference with the choice God has given you. You do matter, because you are his!