Leaving A Legacy - The Dash Between
I remember back in elementary school, life always felt like it would go so slow. Sitting in class for 7 1/2 hours, waiting for the bell to ring so I could go home. The only time life seemed to move fast was when I was having fun. Birthday parties, Christmas Break, vacations, these times would fly by. It's almost like life was going in slow motion. Once I hit Junior High though, things seemed to slowly ramp up. In a sense, life is like walking on a tread mill. You don't start out going a hundred miles per hour, you start with your warm up period. That seemed to be elementary school. In Junior High, you turn the speed up just a little bit more. The more warmed up you get, the faster the treadmill goes. In the same way, the older you get, the faster life goes.
This year, I received a message (on Facebook), about my 10 year High School reunion. WOW! June will be 10 years since I graduated High School. It seems like just yesterday I was walking across the stage, getting my diploma. Yet time has come and gone. I have graduated college, become a brother-in-law, an uncle 3 (almost 4) times over again. I have moved to another state, visited different countries, and been on several youth trips. I have done stupid things I wish I didn't do, and didn't do things I wish I would have done. People have come in and gone out of my life. Friendships have been made. Relationships have been formed.
This year, I draw a little bit closer to the big 3-0! The Bible says life is but a vapor. The older I get, the more true I realize this is. I reflect on this, wondering what this really means. If life is only a vapor, here today, gone tomorrow, how should I live? If I only have so many years here on this earth, what should my life look like? A few years ago, the term YOLO was popular. You know, "You Only Live Once." And this phrase is true. You have one body here on earth. You don't get another one. The choices you make now, determine not only the rest of your life here on earth, but for all of eternity. How often do you take time to reflect on that? If it is as often as I do, it isn't near enough.
As you think about this, how does it impact how you live? Are you living intentionally? Are you living as if you actually have a purpose? I don't mean are you going out there making national / world news for doing something heroic. In fact, you don't need to get any attention at all. The question is what reason do you have for waking up in the morning?
There is a poem (Dash Between) that talks about gravestones. On gravestones, there are two dates listed on them: Your birthday and the day you passed away. The two dates in some ways are the least meaningful part of the gravestone. It is the tiny dash between them that contains the most power and represents the real story. It represents who we were, how we lived, how we loved. It represents the good time and the bad. The joys and the sorrows. The mourning and the celebrations.
The truth is we don't know how long our dash will be. Some peoples' dashes last 90 years, while others only last a few. Right now, I am 28 years old. This is the same age as a resident director who passed away when I was in college. I have known people both older and younger than me, who have are no longer on the earth.
I don't mean to make this post depressing or sad. In fact, when we take time to think about this, it gives us both freedom and motivation to live lives that can make a difference. When we choose to live on purpose, our lives are both more meaningful and more fulfilling. For those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and are following him, it really isn't depressing at all, but exciting. Instead of becoming one day closer to passing away, it is one day closer to becoming the new me. We are a little bit closer to kneeling in the presence of our Savior.
We each have one life to live. Each of our lives are defined by the dash between the dates. We can choose to live for ourselves, or we can choose to make this world a little better than when we came in. We can choose to live to be served or follow the example of Jesus and serve others.
What does your dash represent? What kind of Legacy are you leaving? When people think of you when you are gone, what will they say? Most importantly, when you come before the throne of God, what will he say? Will he say, well done my good and faithful servant?
Did you live your godly calling to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God? Did you represent God, following him with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength?
This year, I received a message (on Facebook), about my 10 year High School reunion. WOW! June will be 10 years since I graduated High School. It seems like just yesterday I was walking across the stage, getting my diploma. Yet time has come and gone. I have graduated college, become a brother-in-law, an uncle 3 (almost 4) times over again. I have moved to another state, visited different countries, and been on several youth trips. I have done stupid things I wish I didn't do, and didn't do things I wish I would have done. People have come in and gone out of my life. Friendships have been made. Relationships have been formed.
This year, I draw a little bit closer to the big 3-0! The Bible says life is but a vapor. The older I get, the more true I realize this is. I reflect on this, wondering what this really means. If life is only a vapor, here today, gone tomorrow, how should I live? If I only have so many years here on this earth, what should my life look like? A few years ago, the term YOLO was popular. You know, "You Only Live Once." And this phrase is true. You have one body here on earth. You don't get another one. The choices you make now, determine not only the rest of your life here on earth, but for all of eternity. How often do you take time to reflect on that? If it is as often as I do, it isn't near enough.
As you think about this, how does it impact how you live? Are you living intentionally? Are you living as if you actually have a purpose? I don't mean are you going out there making national / world news for doing something heroic. In fact, you don't need to get any attention at all. The question is what reason do you have for waking up in the morning?
There is a poem (Dash Between) that talks about gravestones. On gravestones, there are two dates listed on them: Your birthday and the day you passed away. The two dates in some ways are the least meaningful part of the gravestone. It is the tiny dash between them that contains the most power and represents the real story. It represents who we were, how we lived, how we loved. It represents the good time and the bad. The joys and the sorrows. The mourning and the celebrations.
The truth is we don't know how long our dash will be. Some peoples' dashes last 90 years, while others only last a few. Right now, I am 28 years old. This is the same age as a resident director who passed away when I was in college. I have known people both older and younger than me, who have are no longer on the earth.
I don't mean to make this post depressing or sad. In fact, when we take time to think about this, it gives us both freedom and motivation to live lives that can make a difference. When we choose to live on purpose, our lives are both more meaningful and more fulfilling. For those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and are following him, it really isn't depressing at all, but exciting. Instead of becoming one day closer to passing away, it is one day closer to becoming the new me. We are a little bit closer to kneeling in the presence of our Savior.
We each have one life to live. Each of our lives are defined by the dash between the dates. We can choose to live for ourselves, or we can choose to make this world a little better than when we came in. We can choose to live to be served or follow the example of Jesus and serve others.
What does your dash represent? What kind of Legacy are you leaving? When people think of you when you are gone, what will they say? Most importantly, when you come before the throne of God, what will he say? Will he say, well done my good and faithful servant?
Did you live your godly calling to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God? Did you represent God, following him with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength?
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