Lesson 124: The Dash

Kentucky Chaplain David Chaltas

I have heard it said that the tombstone tells you the basic information regarding who you were. It offers your birth date, death date and a dash in between the two. You may have a beautiful poem written in granite, a statement of grandeur etched, an eloquent engraving sandblasted into the stone and maybe even a picture but the most important part of the stone marker is the dash. The dash represents all the events of your life summed up in a brief line. It is nothing more or nothing less. As you visit a cemetery, very few will grasp the significance of the dash, due to its insignificance on the stone. But the dash tells all. It can’t be read in words. A great monument that pays homage to the person can’t explain it. It can only be interpreted by your legacy. The dash simply represents our unspoken and unwritten legacy seen in through the eyes of those you touched. Let me try to explain.

There was a middle age preacher in Scotland that had a small parish. The church met weekly and had Bible study but only one person had come forward to profess Christ and drink from the cup of salvation in over a year. One of the deacons was very concerned and decided to confront the parson. Just before church service, the deacon came forward and confronted the gentle parson on the question. With tears forming in his eyes, he simply stated he was unsure and went on to offer a passionate sermon, doubting his own ability to continue at the church. After the sermon, the young boy came to parson and told him that he had decided on that day to become a preacher. This soothed the spirit of the parson and he decided to stay at that location. In a few months the young boy moved away and the parson lost contact with him.

Thirty years went by and one day the now elderly parson was getting ready for service when he heard a familiar voice calling out his name. It was that young man that he had led to Christ over thirty years ago. Delighted to see him, the old parson talked of olden times and then asked the middle aged man (the boy of yesteryear) what he had been doing over the years. It was then that the boy of thirty years ago told him that he had gone to seminary school, had became an ordained minister and had gone to Africa where he helped bring thousands to Christ. He had traveled the world as an evangelist and had seen hundreds of thousands come forward to drink of the same cleansing waters that he had taken in that little church so long ago. Then he stated with pride, “And I owe it all to you.” That insignificant ‘dash’ in the old parson’s eyes had expanded into a legacy and had touched literally thousands upon thousands of lives. The old man then fell to his knees, thanking God Almighty for being able to lead this one lamb that had touched so many to Christ. The seed that he had planted so long ago grew and the harvest was great. Such is the power of the dash.

An old man and a young boy was walking on a beach and the young boy would stoop over, pick up a starfish that was stranded on the beach and he would fling it back into the ocean. The old man saw thousands of starfish on the beach and scoffed at the ignorance of the child. The boy continued picking them up and flinging them back to the water that offered them life. Containing himself no longer, the old man stated, “Son don’t you see that your effort is senseless? Look at all the starfish that are lying on the beach. You can’t make a difference. Do you really think your efforts matter?” The young lad bent back down picked up another starfish, and giving it a toss back into the saving graces of the ocean simply stated, “It mattered to that one.”

What will your dash say of your life? Will it say, “I have made a difference?” Will your kind act shape another’s life? Will the seed planted thirty years ago yield a thousand fold? Will you be remembered as a peacemaker, a good person or will you even be remembered? How do you wish to have your dash read? God has commanded you to do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. God has asked us to be a lighthouse on a foggy night. We have been charged to deny ourselves and follow Him. We must set an example within the dash of our lives. Won’t you, this very minute, turn your life into one that means something of great importance (Become a son or daughter of God) and bear fruit instead of living day by day in a mundane existence? YOU, my friend, have an opportunity of an eternal lifetime. And on this earth YOU can have life and have it more abundantly than you could ever imagine. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good! Accept Him today and let your dash strengthen the dash of others. I remain your obedient servant, the Old General