Here lies John Harper. Jun 12, 1908 – May 18, 1972.
The simple grave marker is all that most people will ever know about John Harper. It’s a simple testament to a 64-year-old man who was born and who died.
It should provoke questions.What kind of life did he lead? Was he simply a victim of circumstance to be commemorated only with a cold piece of stone? What on that tombstone could he have changed?
The name is one given through birth or marriage — There’s no going back and fixing that
The date of birth was the result of the union of two people — No changing that one either.
The date of death was almost certainly the result of some external forceBut the one thing on those tombstones, John Harper — and billions of others like him could control was the dash. The dash that represents the years between the birth day and the death day.
The dash represents a life lived.
The dash represents a thousand decisions, a thousand lives impacted, a thousand chances to change their world. The dash represents days lived for some causes, some purposes, and some good.
We need to be a people of the dash, not being trapped by the prison of circumstance, birth, events, or even death.
Maybe you were born poor.
Or were raised in a house without love.
Maybe you are a minority.
Or suffer from a disability.
You cannot choose these things. So quit fretting over the things that you have no control.
Instead, live for the dash. These precious moments that God has given you to do something for His glory.
We need to begin making a difference in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our workplaces.
John Harper was my grandfather. I know very little of him, but I do remember his laugh and the people who surrounded him. And I know he loved Jesus.
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