The Dash in the Middle

September 16, 2014

In our lifetime there are two dates assigned to us the date of our birth and the date of our death. There is no greater reminder of this than that of the dates seen on headstones. The dates are very significant because they show our time here on earth, but they are not the most significant things. When you look at a headstone there’s a little thing in the middle between the birth date and the date of our homegoing, you’ll find more significance in the dash than the dates. As small as the dash is the significance and representation of the dash between those two dates require our attention which brings me to the reason and focus of this blog.

You see, the dash in between our date of birth and the date of our death represents the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years that we’ve lived. It also represents how we've lived, what we did with our lives, the good and the bad, how our time was spent and if we spent it well.

I use to hear an old saying “That’s my life in a nutshell”. And it wasn’t until I was writing this blog that the saying came back to me and if you think about it a nut shell isn’t that big, so anyone who uses that as a description of their life has very little to say about their life, their contributions or their impact. But no one has ever said that’s my life in the dash.

If you look at the stories in the Bible the main characters of the Bible, men and women from Abraham to David and from David to JESUS had events, trials, tribulations, sacrifices and victories that formed their dash. Their life’s testimonies still ring true today and are guides for us to live by. They didn’t lead lives in nutshells they lived fearless, dedicated, committed, obedient lives that were bigger than life and that has impacted the world for thousands of years and will continue to impact the world until the end of time.

The dash is priceless. It’s more important than the dates because it contains our memories, our victories, our milestones, our proud moments, our career achievements, our repentance and our personal best that we gave to GOD and man. But it also contains our inner pain and inner struggles, our defeats, our failures, our weak moments, our poor choices, our regrets, our sins and our guilt. How could something so small, as a dash, be so meaningful and hold the power to honor our lives or put a stain on our memory?

If you think the dash is meaningless, think again. Our very lives hinge on the lives we lead between those dates. No man knows the day of his/her death. James 4:14 says: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is our life? We are a mist that appears for a little while and then it vanishes.” Our lives are like a mist that vanishes into thin air. So why don’t we take that time between those dates more seriously? Why don’t we always put that time to good use? That’s a question we each have to ask and answer ourselves.

I for one know the life I’ve lead between the 1950 birth date and now, and I’m here to tell you that I’m not proud of some of the things I put in that dash. Sure those things were during my earlier years and I could make excuses that it was my childhood, my insecurities, the loss of my son and other loved ones in an instance that changed my life forever or any other event in my life that may have caused me to make a poor decision. And yes, these things did play into some of the reasons I did the things, I did. But then GOD came into my dash and when I finally understood the love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness HE had for me, my dash began to mean something. I became more determined to live my life instead of letting it waste away. That dash began to give me a sense of worth and meaning that forever changed my life and the lives of those around me. GOD began to restore me, mold me and shape me into the child of GOD that I am proud to be today.

The transformation that has taken place over the past 24 years and has put a dash behind my date of birth has me convinced that at the end of my dash I will have touched many lives and have planted many seeds for CHRIST. I believe that at the end of my dash, the life I lived for CHRIST will be honored because I live to honor GOD. I haven’t lived a perfect life but I have lived a purposeful life. As I’m crying and finishing writing this blog, I’m humble to know that this blog and the words, inspired by GOD, are one of the most cherished acts of service and accomplishments in my dash. 

There’s something about being used by GOD that has brought tears to my eyes on many days. HE could have chosen anyone but HE chose me.

If you’re reading this blog you’re still among the living and you have time to make any adjustments that you need to in your dash. Life is tough even on a good day but a bad day in CHRIST is better than a good day without HIM on any day. Your life, my life needs that dash to serve as a testimony to the goodness of GOD. The one thing we have as CHRISTIANS is peace in knowing that at the very end of the dash and the date of our death is our eternal reward.

Our life’s story, regardless of what is, or what it has been, has left some sparkle on our dash as well as some smudges, but we have a chance to do some wonderful things throughout the rest of our lives to make that dash in the middle count for something more than just a line between two dates as we strive to live a life destined for greatness all for the glory of GOD.

GOD BLESS