Last Sunday, I spoke about the universal reality of “two dates and a hyphen,” which are inscribed on every person’s tombstone. Rich, poor, famous, or recluse we all get a birthdate, a death date, and a hyphen in between which represents the sum total of our life. The differentiator in life, and the only real input we have on this universal reality is, “What will our hyphen mean?”
In a broad sense, there are three types of hyphens: Thin, Erect,
and Block.
THE THIN HYPHEN
A thin hyphen represents a life in which the person never really risked anything to make the world a better place, bring light into a dark place, or reach out as the tangible hand of Christ. This is the safe route between your birthdate and death date, a life that played it safe and did not allow for the possibility of failure by investing in the next generation. But as they say, “nothing risked, nothing gained.”
A thin hyphen represents a life in which the person never really risked anything to make the world a better place, bring light into a dark place, or reach out as the tangible hand of Christ. This is the safe route between your birthdate and death date, a life that played it safe and did not allow for the possibility of failure by investing in the next generation. But as they say, “nothing risked, nothing gained.”
THE ERECT HYPHEN
An erect hyphen is a life that missed the point of life entirely, this is a life in which the person turns the hyphen 90 degrees and make their hyphen, their life about #1; the all-important “I.” A hyphen tuned 90 degrees makes an “I” which is at the center of S.I.N. all sin. It is “I” who wants what I deserve, it is “I” who I think about first, and it is “I” who is, in the end, alone because there was not anyone else to whom this life mattered.
An erect hyphen is a life that missed the point of life entirely, this is a life in which the person turns the hyphen 90 degrees and make their hyphen, their life about #1; the all-important “I.” A hyphen tuned 90 degrees makes an “I” which is at the center of S.I.N. all sin. It is “I” who wants what I deserve, it is “I” who I think about first, and it is “I” who is, in the end, alone because there was not anyone else to whom this life mattered.
THE BLOCK HYPHEN
Finally, the block hyphen is a full hyphen. A hyphen so full it looks more like a block, a building block that adds to the previous investors and prepares the next generation to go to new heights. This is a life that is known by contributions to help forge a path into the future; a life characterized by giving time, money, and encouragement to those who come after.
Finally, the block hyphen is a full hyphen. A hyphen so full it looks more like a block, a building block that adds to the previous investors and prepares the next generation to go to new heights. This is a life that is known by contributions to help forge a path into the future; a life characterized by giving time, money, and encouragement to those who come after.
History shows us that the mortality rate is about 100%.
The big question is what are you going to do with your time here, your hyphen?
Are you going to settle for a thin, malnourished hyphen that was too frightened
to step out and invest in the next generation? Or, are you going to turn your
hyphen 90 degrees and make life only about yourself? Or, are you going to live
a full life, an abundant life… the life God has envisioned for you?
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