The Dash Between Birth & Death
The In Between
What will you do with your dash?
If you're reading this then I assume you are also breathing. If you are breathing then that means you have life. What you possess in the form of bones, conscience, and spirit is not only a gift but a miracle. It would be a shame for us to waste such a once in a lifetime opportunity.
We can all make an impact in this world in numerous ways. No you don't have to be some popular or rich person to do so. You can make an impact with what you have and where you are. Our lives don't belong to us and we are responsible for how we choose to live. This should not be something to be feared. It should put life in perspective knowing that the lives we live will either go on to be remembered and rewarded or to be wasted and forgotten forever.
People say you only live once. I say you live twice but what happens in the next life is determined by choices you make in this one. The time is now. We don't have much of it left and we can't take this for granted. Walk with me as I follow the One who has all power. We will be unstoppable as we navigate these perilous times and live in true power. So cheers! Here's to living life like it means something. Shalom my friends.
Is there more to life than the here and now?
Is there anything that lasts forever?
I want a modified dash on my headstone,
to indicate I have gone to heaven. It also symbolizes that I left behind a loving and positive influence that continues after I am gone.
On a side note, I noticed the date on your headstone. You are the same age as my son!
That would be a very fitting headstone for you.
Thank you!
Wel done @humanearl sir..
I read chapter four of 'The Purpose Driven Life' which is entitled Made To Last Forever... the point to ponder at the end of the short chapter was a simple concept... "There is more to life than just here and now." Which I truly believe, otherwise what is the point of us being here? As Rick Warren states in the book, if there was nothing more then here and now, we would just live it up and not care about what we do or say, there would be no repercussions. Although we don't all have the same beliefs, I think we all hope that there is more to life than just this.
I can remember a time when I was seven or eight years old and my sisters and I were driving in the car with our dad and our ex step mother Ruth. We were having a deep conversation about how the world and we came to be... Pretty deep for three little girls under the age of seven or eight... it was after this conversation that I decided that there was more than I would ever understand on this Earth about how we all came to reside here. Because as I thought about the Earth and the universe around us, I started thinking what is outside of the universe? What was outside of that? ...It suddenly dawned on me that we are not meant to know all the answers here but I knew at the age of seven or eight that there was a deeper meaning.
Unfortunately knowing this does not always make it easy, especially when I am handling tragedies, sadness or disappointments... Our Earthly life takes over, things that don't really matter seem to take front and center in our lives, events that don't really matter in the long run. Since we are human beings we forget the goal of living for an eternity and let our minds concentrate on events that are mundane and not important.
This chapter resonated with me as I have been agitated and on edge lately, when I think about why... I start pondering if the reason is something I really need to concern myself with? I have been on this quest to know why? I want answers, I want to understand... What if I had the answers, would that change anything? Or do I just need to know that sometimes the answers don't come in this life, they will be clear in the eternities and there we will understand.
By the way, in no way do I think that is easy to do... if I did, wow... my life would be simple. However; life is not simple, we are spiritual beings having a human experience and since we are human, we tend to forget that the life we are living is not all that there is... There is more to life than just here and now....
Thanks my dear friend...
I read that book a long time ago. I agree with you here. We have to put life into perspective and live with eternity in mind.
The dash between Birth and Death is life. Life is a Temporary assignment for us on earth. We are here on earth for just a little while. To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths: First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
Second: earth is only a temporary residence. You won't be here so long, so don't get too attached. Ask God to help you see life on earth as he sees it. This is not our permanent home or final destination. You are just passing through, just visiting earth. And your identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven. When you grasp this truth, you will stop worrying about "having it all" on earth.
The greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success and power in this life, but those who treat life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.
This is such an amazing thing! God designed the earth for us so it could sustain life and we could live here. But then he also designed Heaven for us, and he wants us to live there with him forever. God Knew that there would be more to life than just this life on earth. There's more to life than just here and now. You are going to spend 80 or so years on this planet, but you can spend eternity. You were made to last forever. The question is where you last forever: Heaven or Hell?
You get to choose which door you go through at the end of your life.
Thanks for this great post @humanearl.
My focus is storing treasure in heaven. None of the things on earth will last.
Only by the grace of God will I see his face. My trust is in Christ.
Thanks for the love!
In my dash, I will bring out the best I can ever share with all, something that is helpful for them to have a 2nd life. The dash part will determine if you will have a second life, all your doings and acts will be measured to determine if you are capable of it. This is not the only life we have, but this life is our weapon for the real life, and we must have it, that is the something we must invest in. First life is for investing 2nd life is for harvesting of what you invested in your first life. Be good and greatness will come.
Eternal life is with God and only by his grace and mercy will we see life on the other side.
Such a wonderful ideas by @humanearl sir...
There is more to life than just here and now…
“This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever:”
1 John 2:17
Our life on earth is just temporary. Life is not all about on this earth!
God has created us for eternity and We are just passing by on earth in preparation to the glorious future that awaits us in our heavenly home.
Time will come that everything that we have right now will fade away-our treasures, possession, wealth, and all that Your eyes can see— and we will come back to where God wants us to be 🙂
we only have one life to live here and our life lived on earth will be the result of Where we will live on eternity– in heaven with Jesus or on the other side which is a complete separation of God’s presence. 🙂
I encourage u to make it a priority to INVEST not just on earthly Treasures, but to what matter’s most — save heavenly treasures that will not fade–Do the Will of God 🙂
Jesus has already prepared a room for us with our name written on it 🙂
There's something wonderfully hopeful about the concept of "forever." Fairy tales don't just end; they end "happily ever after." Love deepens when it's "everlasting" love. There's added oomph to a vow that's "now and forever" or, as Shakespeare liked to say it, "forever and a day.
Thanks sir...
I think about the Kingdom of God pretty much everyday. It helps me keep my life in perspective and helps keep me accountable with the reason I'm here. I cannot wait until God finalizes his plans. Until then we have much work to do.
Thanks for sharing this. I'm with you.
We all have two choices, either to spend life or life spends you. The essence of living is to constantly strive for excellence, to be better today than yesterday. Don't let life spend you, try to get maximum out while you are still living.
I agree with you on the point that we don't need to be rich or famous to have an impact on others. We should try to make our and our fellow beings' lives more comfortable in what capacity we have. Even if we are smiling to someone we are doing wonderfully to impact meaningfully.
In my opinion the best use of time is to spend some quality time with your family. That is the time which we are making very costly while spending it with our loved ones.
Thank you for pointing at the dash that is not really dash but a greatest treasure we have as a gift that should be lived in a positive and meaningful way.
Live a little before its too late to live!
Powerful. Enough said there
Now this one's very inspiring, been thinking of it a lot lately, i even wrote something about the difference between surviving and living.
Some people exist, others live! My brother always says his prayer is that he dies empty, having unleashed and explored all the potentials in him.
I believe what you make of your dash is a function of what you are willing to do and let God do too. Nothing happens on it's own. Be sure you're doing everything you can today about that person you want to be tomorrow, or you will just have to be stuck in the wishing corner, lol... No one wants to be there.
Be nice to people, do things you never thought you could, think out of the box! Mentality is key.
Indeed @humanearl, with the little i see you do, you're making your dash count! I hope i don't miss my own trail too, and that everyone sees this, and swings into action.
It seems your brother wants all God has for him. I often think of my life in the same way. Whatever God put me here to do I want to fulfill it and some.
Sure thing. I can't wait to see the next big thing in my life happen, and the next.... I think being given the responsibility for our lives is a gift from nature, then taking and doing it well is a virtue.
Nothing lasts forever. There are questions for which there are no answers. We can answer these questions with theories, and the theory is not true.
We are with you one year of joy. And this means that our whole life is ahead.
It's bad when people spend their lives on something that does not bring them joy. We should be simpler. Life is not just a dash - it's something more. The paradox of life is that the older we get - the faster time goes by.
Therefore, in life, the main thing is to appreciate those people who are always close to us. Who is most often near us? The answer is family. Appreciate and love your family. Friends come and go and the family will always be with you and will always support you.
Apart from everything, the most important thing in life (dash) is finding your own way. This can be very difficult. People do not follow their own path. They feel it and can not help it. It is not right. Do what your heart tells you. It will not be easy but you will understand that you are going the right way. In the end, at the end of life, you will remember life together. Many old people say that they regret what they did not do in their lives. You need to learn from the mistakes of others and live as you see fit.
Nothing can be lost forever and everyone must understand and remember this. This should serve as a motivator.
Yes and I have every intention and motivation to not live a life of regrets. I have heard people talk about their shoulda, coulda, woulda lives. Not me. Not you either. Stay encouraged @frank1in
@humanearl,
The meaning of dash I just found! Whatever we do is in there! Pretty amazing and great explanation you have provided too!
Cheers~
The power of the dash. Ha
Make your life matter. That's got to be a bumper sticker or something. There's so much that happens between when we're born and when we die, but does any of it make a difference? Do we affect people in positive or negative ways? Or do we just ignore them? It takes intentionality and motivation to make life count, but otherwise, it's all kind of a waste. Don't get caught up in mistakes or failures of the past, live today the best that you can!
That's what I'm talkin about!