I love this poem and the question it asks:

HOW DO YOU LIVE YOUR DASH
by Linda Ellis

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 that first came 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.

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on 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?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real,
And always try to 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’s being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

The bible says that our days are numbered, specifically, by God (Job 14:5). The time of our birth and the time of our death are secure in His providence and we have no control over either. God has marked out our time (our dash) for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10). Our legacy will not be determined by how we enter or how we leave this world but how we live in it. This leads us to two truths and a question:

We glorified God in our birth… Psalm 139:13-14

We will glorify God in our death… Philippians 2:9-11

Will we glorify God in with our life? Mathew 5:14-16

“So, when your eulogy’s being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?”