Live Like You’re Dying
Tony Thomas
Psalms 31:14; John 10:10
Christie’s dad worked for forty-seven years at the Wabash Plain Dealer as the advertising director. After he retired he opened his own monument business. With his background in sales and advertising, he took artistic pride in reducing a person’s life to two dates between a dash on every monument he designed and sold.
Have you ever thought about that? Every monument comes down to what’s between the dash: the date you were born and the date you die. Some of Phil’s monuments included Bible verses, like, ‘‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.’’ And some monuments serve as warnings:
Remember me as you pass by, As you are now so once was I; As I am now so you will be, Prepare for death and follow me.
Thomas Jefferson is our second President and he’s buried at his home at Monticello, just outside Charlottesville, VA on top of the highest mountain. Jefferson wrote the inscription:
‘‘Here was buried THOMAS JEFFERSON Author of the Declaration of American Independence Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Virginia.’’
Interestingly enough, there’s nothing on that stone about being our second President! You can plan all you want but people will recall what they choose to remember.
At every funeral, I wonder about that dash on the gravestone or header. What did they live for? Whom did they love? What were their passions and dreams? What were their greatest regrets? We have little control over so many things in our lives. We can’t choose our parents or siblings; we can’t choose our place of birth; and we can’t choose the time period or culture into which we’re born.
We don’t get to decide the dates on our gravestones, either! But we do get to decide one thing: how we use our dash! So ... how are you using yours so far?
We’re starting a new series today cal ...
Tony Thomas
Psalms 31:14; John 10:10
Christie’s dad worked for forty-seven years at the Wabash Plain Dealer as the advertising director. After he retired he opened his own monument business. With his background in sales and advertising, he took artistic pride in reducing a person’s life to two dates between a dash on every monument he designed and sold.
Have you ever thought about that? Every monument comes down to what’s between the dash: the date you were born and the date you die. Some of Phil’s monuments included Bible verses, like, ‘‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.’’ And some monuments serve as warnings:
Remember me as you pass by, As you are now so once was I; As I am now so you will be, Prepare for death and follow me.
Thomas Jefferson is our second President and he’s buried at his home at Monticello, just outside Charlottesville, VA on top of the highest mountain. Jefferson wrote the inscription:
‘‘Here was buried THOMAS JEFFERSON Author of the Declaration of American Independence Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom and Father of the University of Virginia.’’
Interestingly enough, there’s nothing on that stone about being our second President! You can plan all you want but people will recall what they choose to remember.
At every funeral, I wonder about that dash on the gravestone or header. What did they live for? Whom did they love? What were their passions and dreams? What were their greatest regrets? We have little control over so many things in our lives. We can’t choose our parents or siblings; we can’t choose our place of birth; and we can’t choose the time period or culture into which we’re born.
We don’t get to decide the dates on our gravestones, either! But we do get to decide one thing: how we use our dash! So ... how are you using yours so far?
We’re starting a new series today cal ...
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