What Can Be Found in a Dash?

When we look back at our lives, what do we see? A sermon I recently heard gave the illustration about one of the etchings on a tombstone or a headstone found in a cemetery. Those engravings on the surface usually list the deceased’s name and possibly a small design and the age, but it always includes the date of the person’s birth and the date of the death. Those two dates are separated by a hyphen or a dash and all of that individual’s life is represented by that small chip in the rock. All the history of that person is condensed into that tiny glyph. Each breath that is taken from the cradle to the grave, from the first to the last is represented by that tiny etched line. Each deed that a person does, each act whether good or bad, each second of that individual’s life on earth, and each accomplishment is portrayed in that small scratch in the granite.

Once that person expires, nothing more can be added or changed to that earthly record. Nothing more can be added to that record our lives. All the things that we meant to do will never be accomplished and will never be realized. What we’ve put off until tomorrow will never happen. Making amends with someone with whom we’ve quarreled, taking a special vacation to a special place, or how about asking for salvation? Once that dash is chipped into place prior our death, accepting Christ as Savior will never happen. There will be no excuse that God will accept once that dash is carved separating the date of our birth and our death. Either our name will be entered into the Book of Life or not. Nothing will be able to alter that fact. The choice must be made before the stone carver completes his work.

Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, was sent to earth in the form of a man to reconcile sinful people to the Father be reunited with God. Jesus was the ultimate payment for our sin debt. He died that we might live eternally as the Father’s adopted heirs to the riches of heaven.

If we don’t choose Christ, for he is the one and only way to obtain redemption, we choose to remain in our sins and to reject the free gift of salvation. We will have chosen to accept the punishment that our stubborn and sinful life has earned. The payment has been made, but we must decide to accept it.  Christ is our personal Savior and to reject him is to suffer punishment in Hell. Decide before that dash into eternity is complete.