The "-" Dash

There are only a few things about life that are 100% certain. One is, if you're on this earth, then you were born. Two is, we will all die one day. And three is, God always has and always will love you. Everything beyond that can change in the blink of an eye. And if you have ever lost a friend or a loved one then you have stood there looking down at a tombstone that represented and entire life with something that looked like this"1963 - 2006". An entire life summed up in one small statement. Representing 2 out of those 3 things I mentioned. When the person was born, and when they passed. But what about everything in between?
The dash "-" is what I wanted to challenge you to think about today. Each of us will have a dash between 2 dates one day representing every single event that took place in our life.....good times, bad times, moments of pain and moments of joy...all represented by a dash "-". It is an odd character to represent so much. It isn't a longer dash if you lived a longer life or a shorter dash if life ended to soon. It is just a dash...and it is our life. That dash can represent 20 years, 48 years or 97 years, but it will still be just a dash. But what we did/do with those years is what matters. I will be the first to say that I wish I could have some of those years back. I wish I did more with ones that are gone, and I hope to do more with the ones that are left. But we cannot always assume there will be more left. That kind of ignorance/arrogance is exactly what the enemy would love for us to focus on.  That "I" will always have tomorrow to do that. But tomorrow is no guarantee. (Proverbs 27:1) To many people spent their last day on this earth yesterday thinking that they would have today to do something they needed to do. That tomorrow they would right that wrong. Tomorrow they would talk to God. Tomorrow they would allow God to talk to them. Tomorrow they would ask for forgiveness....tomorrow they would ask for Jesus. Tomorrow they would follow God's calling on their life. Tomorrow they would seek His purpose for their life. Tomorrow they will talk to that person about what God can do for them.......Tomorrow.
There is a phrase that I've seen on Instagram several times now and it holds so much truth. It says "A year from now you will wish you would have started today". The one thing I want to encourage you in today is to not let your dash represent regret. Don't let your last days (if you get last days) trying to fix a bunch of things in your life that should have already been taken care of. And the number 1 thing I am talking about is where you stand with Jesus. Have you taken Him serious? Have you taken His death for your life serious? Have you taken the word "eternity" serious? Have you ask Him why He put you on this earth and if you are fulfilling the purpose you were specifically designed for?
We quote John 10:10 a lot when we talk about how the enemy wants to destroy our lives for it says "The enemy comes to kill and steal and destroy...", but I want you to remember the last half today as you think about what your dash will represent. The last half says "...I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly". We grow up hearing how great eternity with Jesus is going to be, but I believe God wants your life here...your dash "-"...to be full of meaning and purpose. The dash is the legacy that you are leaving behind for those that go after you. What will yours be? Will you leave a worn out path that leads them to Jesus? So when they are lost, tired or confused about their own life they will know that they can find the path you were walking on and know it will lead them in the right direction...that it will lead them to Jesus?
No matter how many years your dash "-" represents, let them be years that you know were well spent in the eyes of God, not the world. They will not all be perfect, but that is why He offers us His grace and mercy. But He sees what we chase after, what we pour our time into, what we pour our energy into... and no mater what that has been in the past, let it be a life LIVED for Him starting today. Because when the long race of life is over, no matter how years it was....it will just feel like a dash.
God, Your Son is the way, the truth and the life. Thank You for making a way full of truth and life for us. Thank you for creating us to live for and honor you in the years that our dash represent. Help us to see the importance of giving those years to you and making a difference for you on this earth. Holy Spirit help us to seek you in how we spent our time and energy so we can point as many people as possible to God before our days here are done. We thank You, we love You and we honor You. In Jesus name, Amen