What are You Doing with Your Dash?

I spent the day in Wisconsin with my friend Charity and her family as we celebrated her brother Dave's life.  This has been an incredibly difficult time for their family.  My heart grieves for them all:  Dave's mom and dad who now have to bury their son, Dave's wife who loses her husband, Dave's children who have lost their dad, Dave's siblings who have lost their brother...

There were some young children there who obviously loved their Uncle Dave as well.  Several of them clung to their moms and dads and just cried their little hearts out.  There was also military there and they did the gun salute, played taps and presented his wife with the American flag since Dave served faithfully in the military.  That always gets me. It's so touching.

When we first got there and we walked in to the sanctuary, there were large screens with images of Dave and his family set to music.  So many memories.  The music and the message were so meaningful.  Charity sang a song she wrote for Dave 6 months ago, and her brother-in-law sang a moving rendition of "Come to Jesus."  Jerry and I had the great blessing of singing "The Old Rugged Cross" today as well.  It truly was a beautiful, God-honoring service.

The pastor spoke about our lives and how each of us has been given, by God, a beginning and an ending date to our lives.  It's already decided.  When you look at somebody's "dates" after they pass, there's a dash in between those two dates and years.  He asked the question:  "What are you doing with your dash?  At the end of your life, what will be said about the way you lived in between?"  I found that to be very thought-provoking, to say the least.  It gets down to the legacy we leave behind...the way we want to be remembered, the difference we made, the way we honored and glorified our God.

And so, as I turn out the light tonight, I'll ask you the same question:  "What are you doing with your dash?"

What do you want said of you at your Going Home Celebration?  

May each of us know and pursue the vision God has for us while we are living here on this earth.  We all have a purpose.  May we all prayerfully find it and live it out.  Life is but a breath.