Friday, June 14, 2024

WHAT WE DO WITH THE DASH

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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.

by Bill McDonald, PhD

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