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I once heard a sermon with a curious title. Since then, I have
heard variations of the same sermon several times, and not always behind the
pulpit, but simply as an illustration.
The first and subsequent times I heard it, it has sounded
pretty much like,
“You go out to a cemetery, and you see a multitude of
headstones. You notice various names, epitaphs, and sometimes photos. And each
stone marker is engraved with a date of birth and a date of death. And in
between the two dates is a dash. My friends, the dash represents …your life.
All that ultimately matters is what we do with the dash!”
Life is fleeting. I am approaching my mid-70’s, yet it seems
my childhood and adolescence was just a moment ago.
I heard another illustration which accents the importance of
embracing one’s destiny in the few short years represented by the dash.
“If I asked you to name the richest piece of ground on earth,
some of you would say ‘it has to be the gold mines of South Africa.’ Others may
guess the oil wells Saudi Arabia. Still others might presume it to be the
woodlands of South America.
“And if you selected any of these choices, you would… be
wrong. For you see, the richest piece of ground on earth is your local
cemetery. For lying dormant in the bosoms of thousands of those who went before
us are unfinished dreams. Dreams that might have changed the world. But they
will lie there unfulfilled for a million million years.”
One of the main characters in the movie, “Shawshank
Redemption” said, “Get busy living or get busy dying.”
It’s all about what we do with the dash.
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