Dash? Huh? I mean your lifetime here?
It's really kinda short - that dash. You'll only get one life to live. And just like a life, I guess a dash is very short. That's how I like to think about a lifetime.
So how are you spending your short dash? Do you like to ask questions? There is a need for that at times. How do you start ministering when you meet someone? Do you like to ask key questions.. for their sake? It seems to me that people really want to be heard today. Many want to find a way to make their dash count. I think that people wanting to be heard.. is the very reason for the fast rise of so many social networks everywhere. They don't want to be just another number in this life. Yup, people want to express their opinions and they want em to be heard.
Q? Are you a believer? Do you want to make an impact with your brief life for eternity. Do you listen to people? Do you seek to win them to Your Savior? Are you busy about your Father's biz?
I would like to respectfully challenge you to start your 2012 off in prayer and in the Bible asking God some questions about His specific will for you. And start it with some questions directed to people as well.
If you're a believer, then I dare you if I may to use your dash for Christ, yes, all of it 100% for Him. And please use a few good questions now and then to addressed those that you love, so they will begin to think on spiritual matters rather than merely about natural things. How do you break the ice with new people? Ask God for the right questions and then listen up? Yes, perhaps you can use questions with some new people that you meet. Might sound scary for some, but you can ask for boldness as well.
Good idea.. proper questions ..if they're not too personal or the prying type of questions! I dare you to answer questions this year using the Bible as well, instead of merely giving your opinions out. You know that the Bible addresses every need of man. That the best tool to use without a doubt..either digitally or your old worn out hard-copy Bible. Christ lived right before others, but He also used words of truth and questions. He also used the Scriptures before asking if His hearers believed in them. Without em, what will you use with your dash to make it count for God? What will you have to present before the Lord who deserves so much, when He soon appears?
Ever minister usin' respectful questions? (my favorite way to start). With what did Jesus start His ministry? Famous first words: "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Lk2/49nkjv). A couple good questions huh. They set the ministry tone for the remainder of Christ's life on earth. Jesus frequently used questions to stimulate thinkin', to fish, to minister, to communicate spiritual truths. What opens a ♥ and mind quite like questions? They still cause a hearer to do a bit of soul-searching as they stop to consider what's asked. When Jesus was the one askin' the questions, like He did at 12-years-old, those questions declared more than they were asking. What do those 2 Qs tell u about Jesus the Minister?
In closing let me share a poem with a few questions in it.. that means a lot to me.
"I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning… to the end
He noted he first came to her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1900 – 1970)
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on this earth…
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own:
The cars…the house…the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard….
Are there things you'd like to change?
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider whats true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
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's being read
With your life's actions to rehash
With your life's actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?"
