What are your priorities?

"Remember friend as you walk by

As you are now so once was I

As I am now you will surely be

Prepare thyself to follow me."

The original of this epitaph appeared on a headstone in a European monastery, and has been used in variations by others since. On most headstones the person's name appears, followed by two dates that are separated by a little hyphen.

Date of Birth - Date of Passing

The message is clear: on this earth we have an arrival and a departure. All of our life is summed up in that little dash. There is no period at the end. If there were any punctuation the more appropriate would be a comma. Whether the period of time involved is measured in days or decades, our time here will be the most brief we will ever spend. Those living in senior communities are more acutely aware with the coming and going of ambulances.

Also clear is that hearses are never seen pulling U-Hauls trailers or followed by moving vans. All of the "stuff" we strive so hard to acquire in this life is not going with us. We of a certainty will be leaving all of it behind to others, others who may not appreciate it half as much as we did. Were we ever truly satisfied with what we had, or was it a case of always struggling for "just a little more?"

Indeed, the lasting value in our life -- whether personal, business or public, consists in the lives we have touched for good or ill. And touch them we do. Some we interact with directly, and many more indirectly in a never-ending ripple effect. So I must ask myself: is each person better off in a meaningful way for having had that contact? Did I cause good, or damage?

Death is a doorway through which we all must pass (a great many sooner than they anticipate) other than for a single significant generation. After that will come the inevitable judgment for reward or separation. I know my destination. Yet how will I stand before the King of Kings? Will I have a record of good accomplished and people I have helped rescue by my words and actions? Or will I instead have a handful of the ashes of selfish, worthless words and actions?

For me death holds no fear, as he is already a vanquished foe. The grave cannot hold me. No, this body is but a much-worn house in which I dwell for the moment. Soon I, my spirit will simply slide out of it as a hand slips out of a glove. My soul-- mind emotions and will are to be with me fully intact. "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”"

In the meantime, "and if wrong in your eyes to serve Jehovah--choose for you to-day whom ye do serve; ... I and my house--we serve Jehovah.'" Joshua 24:15 (Young's Literal)

Found among his papers in Zimbabwe after he was martyred for his Christian faith. It is the moving testimony of a martyr.

I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!

So, my friend, how are you going to spend your little hyphen? And how will you spend eternity without end and without chance to decide otherwise? The choice is yours, and all choices carry with them the seeds of their unique consequences. Choose wisely.