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Friday, March 12
Have you ever walked through an old section of a cemetery? You can find such interesting headstones there. Some of the things written on them can be silly, sad, serious, or sentimental. Here are a few I found…
*“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal”
*“Gone from our sight but never our memories, gone from our touch but never our hearts”
*This is a classic one: “I told you I was sick!”
*And I love this one: On a gravestone from the 1880s in Nantucket, Massachusetts:
Under the sod and under the trees
Lies the body of Jonathan Pease.
He is not here, there’s only the pod:
Pease shelled out and went to God.
What will take you out of this world? Will it be like poor ol’ Fred in the photo? “Here lies good old Fred; a great big rock fell on his head.”
You never know when you will take your last breath. It could be in the next hour, tomorrow, or fifty years from now.
We are all allowed only so many days on earth. So, what do we do with them? Do we fill our days with choices that will affect ourselves and others in a way that is positive or negative?
Do we consider ourselves as worthy as the Lord does so that we don’t step out of His safe boundaries by making wrong choices?
You are worthy; God’s Word says so, for He thinks enough of you to give you a part of Himself when you accept His salvation. As the apostle Paul said, “Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that He lives within you?” (1 Cor. 6:19a TLB)
What Paul wrote to the Colossian believers is for us as well. He prayed that they would “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Col. 1:10 NKJV)
Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonians is also for us. He pointed out that their “daily lives should not embarrass God but bring joy to Him Who invited you into His Kingdom to share His glory.” (1 Thess. 2:12 TLB)
How, then, do we make the right decisions to honor the Lord within us? What will keep us within His safe borders? The answer? Knowing the Lord, staying rooted in His Word, and trusting Him to help us make the right choices.
Scripture tells us how to make our days worthwhile through the words of Solomon, “I, Wisdom, will make the hours of your day more profitable and the years of your life more fruitful” (Prov. 9:11 TLB), and Isaiah, “I shall walk carefully all my years.” (Is. 38:15b NKJV)
If headstone engravings are a miniscule summation of a person’s life, what is the most important part? Some of you may know. Give up? It’s the dash. The dash between the dates.
Are you walking carefully through your years, your dash days? What did you do last year? Yesterday? What will you do today, tomorrow, or throughout the rest of your time on earth?
The effects of the decisions you make in your lifetime leave telltale signs of your character, and that is what people will remember about your dash days.
At the end of the day, when your head hits that pillow and you look back over your day, do you find that you wasted it or made it worthwhile? Will you have to live with any consequences to your choices? As the old saying goes, “As you make your bed, so must you lie in it.”
This reminds me of the old comedy series Happy Days in which Fonzi once said, as his own twist on that saying, “You make your bed bad, you get wrinkles!” He was right! If you make your life’s bed bad by making the wrong decisions, you get wrinkles in your life!
So, what makes up your day-bed life? Lush sheets of stinginess, a comfortable mattress of misbehavior, a puffy pillow of pride, and all covered over with a blanket of bitterness?
Or is it made up with kindness, good deeds, comforting and encouraging words, and saying “no” to things you know will bring negative results in your life or in another’s life?
When all of your days come to an end, what will others engrave on your headstone? Will the words tell of how you lived your dash? Will your dash be wasted or worthwhile?
Lynn, those choices we make are so important. I love how you wrote "The effects of the decisions you make in your lifetime leave telltale signs of your character, and that is what people will remember about your dash days."
The Lord is interested in building our character. That often involves pruning and it can be painful at times. Do we submit and remember that God knows what is best for us?
Too often I pray for the Lord to take away my pain and difficulties. But I have to remember that He is with me through the storms and will carry me through.
I want my dash days to be worthwhile and not wasted. Thanks for reminding me. BTW, our house is sold and we are in a rental.
Blessings and love,
Debbie
Here is one from an old gravestone I saw in in very old country grave yard in Maine
I am at rest
weep not for me
from sin and death
I now am free
transplanted to my home above
I dwell where all is peace and love
Lynn,
This is my favorite post. A great reminder!
Great post, thank You Jesus. I can only pray that at the end of my Earthly life and the beginning of my Eternal life with Jesus that HE will say, "Well done my good and faithful daughter". What people on Earth choose to express on my gravestone is up to them. My soul will be in Heaven with the Trinity; my true home.
Hey, sweet Debbie! It does involve painful pruning sometimes, doesn't it? I know your days are worthwhile ones...because of your precious heart! I think I remember you mentioning (gosh, fibro-fog didn't take it away?) that the people bought the house AND all the furniture. How awesome is that? A rental is awesome. The alternative would be the street! Thank You, Lord! Be blessed, my sweet friend!
Hey, hip chick! That reminds me of the poem Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep...
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
Thanks for taking time to stop by and comment. Blessings to you!
Hey, dear Val! Thanks so much. I deeply appreciate it. So glad you liked it. Be blessed!
Awesome as usual, Lynnie! I love your insight!
Hey, Kimberly! Thanks as always for your precious comment. You make my heart happy!
I think I'll have them engrave my headstone with this...
Lynn is not here. She's gone Home!
'Nuff said!
Hey, sweet Merry Michele! You bring tears to these fuzzy eyes! I am so happy to "see" you! Thank you! My heart is now full! May all blessings pursue you! Love you!
You really are a girl after my own heart. I think we were cut from the same cloth. :-) Great post Lynn!
My last post was somewhat similar and one of my older post is "Living Life On Purpose." Sounds like our hearts beat in the same direction! I love the link between our decisions today and our legacy tomorrow!
Hey, sweet Stephanie! Thanks so much for commenting! Love hearing from you.
Darn! I don't get to visit your blog much. I wish you had an email subscription. I'll have to look up those posts. Thanks for mentioning them. Be blessed!
Lynn, this is my favorite post! I even shared it with my husband. Sometimes, he's not always that great of a listener, but he was this time :). It has a great message that stays with you to ponder on and reflect. Love you my friend!
JoAnne
Hey, JoAnne! Thank you so much, sweetie. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and hope hubby did, too. Makes me very happy. Love you, too! Be blessed!
Great post, Lynn! I hadn't really thought about it in quite this way, but we should make the most of each day, the "dash" in living for the Lord and loving others. I love the Jonathan Pease one. I think I need something poetic on my gravestone! Thanks for sharing, dear sweet Lynn!
Thanks so much, dear Connie! I always appreciate hearing from you. And yes, you definitely need something poetic on yours! Would be very fitting! Blessings to you!