Our lives begin with God’s strong hands writing down the day of our birth, chiseling it in stone and from that moment on, we are forming the dash. Each day is an adventure, each moment a new experience and a choice.
The form of the dash is shaped by the people we interact with and the choices we make. I was once told that there are three types of people, those who can help you, those who can hurt you and those who do neither. I have often reflected on this as a bellwether for my life, but recently have come to a different conclusion. There are only two types of people in this world: Those who improve your life and those whose lives you improve.
The first part of our dash is spent being improved, learning new experiences and growing. Malachi 3:3 says, “He will sit as a refiner of silver…” In other words, we will go through the flames, the fire and have all of our impurities burnt off until the silversmith sees His reflection in us.
The second part of our dash is then spent helping others see the greatness in themselves that you already see, but somehow they don’t see it yet. Parents see what their newborn child can be, couples see how through their marriage they will grow together and friends see how they can enrich each others’ lives.
One day, God’s strong hands will chisel end the last date beyond our dash. Until that day we wake up with a purpose, the adventure, with each moment and choice, it is up to us, it is our actions and our choices that make up the dash, what will be the signature on your dash…
My hope is that upon that dash He will write two words, “well done.”