As a member of the Leadership team at Community Bible Study, each leader is required to give an opening devotional. This morning was my turn. After debating the topic and procrastinating by watching Whitney Houston's home going service, this is what God laid on my heart. I hope you are encouraged, motivated, and challenged by what I said. Here it is in its entirety.
I was extremely challenged by what to say for this
devotion. Most of you don’t know me well nor do you know much about me. I am a
Christian saved in October 1985, a wife, a mom, an aunt, a godparent, a friend,
a blogger, a travel agent, a former IRS employee, a connoisseur of good food
and a person who loves to travel. I am also a repressed bartender and a
repressed English teacher. I am a host of other things, a list too long to
mention. One thing I am is a pop culture junkie. As you know, Whitney Houston
died a little over a week ago. I was saddened but not totally shocked. As the
week leading to her funeral played out over every news broadcast, I got to
thinking about her life and what it represented. I got to thinking about my own
life and what it represents. I think we all tend to take a personal inventory
at the beginning of each year. Our life really is the dash between our birth date and death date. Some call it our sunrise and sunset. We don’t know
the date nor do we know the hour that God is going to bring us home. The dash
is relatively small but it represents the total of our life experiences good,
bad, and yes even ugly.
What does that dash really tell others? Nothing. My
experience is as varied as yours. Maybe you were a rebellious child but got
yourself together by the time you became a young adult. Perhaps your college
years were filled with booze, boys, and parties. Maybe as an adult you’ve
suffered from depression and anxiety. Perhaps you had dreams and aspirations
but an illness or a husband and children came along and have made you table
your goals. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but
it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Maybe now even as you sit here in
leadership, you are wondering what God’s purpose for your life really is. Perhaps
God has told you to do something and you have ignored the call because you
don’t think you are good enough, articulate enough, or smart enough.
Whatever your reality is, it is not a surprise to God.
Aren’t you glad He sees the best in us when others see our failures and
shortcomings? So what does that have to do with the dash? Well the dash really represents
God’s ordered plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says: “For I know the
thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of
evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and
pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when
you search for Me with all your heart.” He knew when you’d stray, and when
you’d fall. He also knew that He’d always give you an opportunity to run into
His loving arms and weep and pray, and poor out your heart to him. He never
shuts down so we can go to Him 24/7.
At some point, we’ve all been like the prodigal daughter
or prodigal wife. Maybe we’ve been the prodigal friend or the Prodigal
Christian. We didn’t trust God enough to do what He said He would do which is
to work everything for good for those who love Him. We had to be independent,
do it our way, on our own. We strayed away from the confines of a safe place
where we received unconditional love and understanding into a sea of sinfulness
and wayward living and thinking. We satisfied our fleshly desires and perhaps
hurt some dear loved ones along the way. We all know that only what we do for
Christ will last. We also know that life gets in the way and sometimes our
motives for doing things are simply wrong. Sometimes our agenda is self-centered,
not Christ focused. Matthew 12:30(NLT) says, “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes
me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.” None
of wakes up thinking, “Hmm, let me see if I can oppose God today.” We don’t
willingly want to harm God but that is what happens our actions aren’t pleasing
and reflective of His character.
When
the fog lifts and we find our way back to what we left, don’t we want to be
welcomed? Don’t we hope that we don’t have to be reminded of our guilt? Don’t
we pray we don’t have to deal with an older brother or spouse or friend who is
too angry to welcome us with open arms and forgive us of our transgression and
moment of insanity? Every day we must purpose in our hearts to look to Christ,
not the people He puts in our path. Those people will cause us to stumble
because we can’t control their actions or reactions. We can only control our
own thoughts, words, and actions. No matter how off track we may get, we can
always find our way back to God. Psalm 46:1 says that “God is our refuge and
strength, an ever present help in trouble.”
So, what if you have been doubting your ability to do
something God has been nudging you to do? That task that you are ignoring may
be the most important aspect that your dash is supposed to represent. If God
has called you, you are equipped to do the job with His guidance. No need to be
afraid or worry. I Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of
fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Maybe you are at a loss as to where to begin. You
might need to put your vision down on paper. In chapter 2 verse 2-3, God told
Habakkuk, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald
may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the
end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; It will certainly
come and will not delay.” Research has proven that putting our goals down on
paper means they are more likely to come to fruition. So write it down, even if
it doesn’t make sense or doesn’t look like it has a chance of occurring. With
God all things are possible and not be cliche, yes we can do everything through
Him who gives us strength.
Then you might need to get an accountability partner
to keep you on track. Choose that person wisely. 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us,
“Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character.” Make sure the person
shares your vision and puts their confidence in God and prays often. Your
person needs to be honest, respectful, encouraging, gentle and intimate. Those
are strong shoes to fill. Ask the Lord to lead you to the right person, your
partner may not be your best friend. Jus saying…..something to think about. As
much as we need God, we still need other people. It is through relationship,
the God builds our character and teaches us to love others as much as we love
ourselves.
All that being said, one day all of us are going to
die. We don’t get to be privy to what will be said at our funeral/memorial
service. Whatever words are spoken will be representative of what we did with
our dash. It is the only place where every single one of our worlds actually
collide. It is almost funny that we don’t get to witness it. Let’s face it, we
have all been to a service where things were said that revealed a whole other
side of a person that we didn’t know. People let you see what they want you to
see. You can know a person but not KNOW the person. Whatever the case, make
sure your dash reflects who you really are. Your character is supposed to be
consistent. The work Pam should be consistent with the church Pam. The
neighborhood Pam should be consistent with the friend Pam and on and on. Your
lasting impression on this earth is really up to you.
What will your legacy be?
Will you have done great things for Christ? Will people even know that you
loved the Lord? Or will they sit at your service thinking who the heck is this
person that they are talking about? Will you be known for the fruit of your
labor, will God be in the details? Think about the legacy you want to leave
behind. If you died today would you like what people have to say or do you want
to change the perception? Your dash is totally driven by you. Your life is
calling, get busy living, changing, moving, and shaking. God has laid the
foundation, we just need to order our steps and carry it out. Ephesians 2:10
tells us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I close with The Dash Poem
which was written by Linda Ellis:
I
read of a man who stood to speak
At
the funeral of a friend.
He
referred to the date of her tombstone
From
the beginning to the end.
He
noted that first came the date of her birth
And
spoke of the following date with tears
But
he said what matters most of all
Was
the dash between those years.
For
that dash represents all the time
That
she spent alive on earth
And
now only those who loved her
Know
what the little line is worth.
For
it matters not how much we own,
The
cars, the house, the cash
What
matters most is how we live and love
And
how we spend our dash.
So
think about it long and hard;
Are
things you’d like to change?
For
you never know how much time is left
That
can still be arranged.
If
we can just slow down enough
To
consider what’s true and real
And
always try and understand
The
way other people feel.
And
be less quick to anger
And
show appreciation more
And
love the people in our lives
Like
we’ve never loved before.
If
we treat each other with respect
And
more often wear a smile,
Remembering
that this special dash
Might
only last a little while.
So
when your eulogy is being read,
With
your life’s actions to rehash
Would
you be proud of the things they say
About
how you spent your dash?
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