Two Dates and a Punctuation Mark
My wife and I lost a very close friend yesterday. It was an expected loss, but when we received the call to hurry to the hospital to be by his side, the reality of the brevity of life quickly set in.
There is no two ways about it, the death rate is still one per person and, like Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”
The Bible reminds us that life is like a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes away (James 4:14). Someone recently shared the following statement while giving a eulogy at a funeral, “Life is the dash between two dates on a tombstone.” The quote was not only discouraging, it was wrong.
Our lives are more than a punctuation mark separating two dates. The time that the Lord gives us on this giant, round ball is meant to be used to add value and meaning to each other’s lives.
We do this by helping each other with things that we cannot do on our own. We do this by encouraging one another through times of discouragement and by being present during times of loneliness.
We give the gift of laughter to each other and share our personalities with each other for better or for worse.
We become “brothers from other mothers” and “sisters from other misters” with each other and build customs and legacies that will flow well into the next generation.
We disagree with each other, strengthening the viability of an idea. We agree with each other, keeping the world around us accountable to the truth of a matter.
We recognize, appreciate, and preserve the wisdom of the aged, and are innovative to compete in our own time.
What we do in this life matters. It matters to our parents, our children, our grandchildren, our friends, and our community. What we do in this life adds value and meaning to every person we meet causing a ripple effect that will last well into eternity.
Our lives were meant to be spent enhancing each other’s lives by interacting through the hurts and pains, the accomplishments and achievements, the highs and lows, and even the boring and mundane.
The line separating two dates on a tombstone is punctuation. Period.
Our lives were meant to add value and meaning to the lives of others for time and for eternity.
Pastor Adam
There is no two ways about it, the death rate is still one per person and, like Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”
The Bible reminds us that life is like a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes away (James 4:14). Someone recently shared the following statement while giving a eulogy at a funeral, “Life is the dash between two dates on a tombstone.” The quote was not only discouraging, it was wrong.
Our lives are more than a punctuation mark separating two dates. The time that the Lord gives us on this giant, round ball is meant to be used to add value and meaning to each other’s lives.
We do this by helping each other with things that we cannot do on our own. We do this by encouraging one another through times of discouragement and by being present during times of loneliness.
We give the gift of laughter to each other and share our personalities with each other for better or for worse.
We become “brothers from other mothers” and “sisters from other misters” with each other and build customs and legacies that will flow well into the next generation.
We disagree with each other, strengthening the viability of an idea. We agree with each other, keeping the world around us accountable to the truth of a matter.
We recognize, appreciate, and preserve the wisdom of the aged, and are innovative to compete in our own time.
What we do in this life matters. It matters to our parents, our children, our grandchildren, our friends, and our community. What we do in this life adds value and meaning to every person we meet causing a ripple effect that will last well into eternity.
Our lives were meant to be spent enhancing each other’s lives by interacting through the hurts and pains, the accomplishments and achievements, the highs and lows, and even the boring and mundane.
The line separating two dates on a tombstone is punctuation. Period.
Our lives were meant to add value and meaning to the lives of others for time and for eternity.
Pastor Adam
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