The Dash

When I think about life I realize that my time here on earth is short! God has only given me a fleeting moment to complete His will and plan for me. In American culture the contemporary wisdom says that success is measured by the amount of money one has, or the magnitude of possessions they acquire. But according to the wisdom of the Bible, the man who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life for the sake of Christ will find it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose even his own life. In the poem called “The Dash”, Linda Ellis grasps the depth of the shortness of life.

The Dash
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a 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
And spoke the following date 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
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Another sobering quote I like says this, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away.”