The Power of the Hyphen

When one year ends and a new year begins, I usually will take some time reflecting on some of the events of the past year.  Recently, I thought about some of the people that died in 2018.  They included the following:

• George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush- former President of the U.S., former first lady
• Paul Allen- co-founder of Microsoft
• Stan Lee-  comic book writer, super-hero creator
• Aretha Franklin- singer, entertainer
• John McCain-  United States Senator, U.S. Navy veteran
• Burt Reynolds- actor
• Penny Marshall- actress

These are just a few well-known people that died in 2018.  There are many more people that could be named who served our country, entertained us, and impacted the quality of our lives.  Of course, there are people most of us could name who died in 2018 who are not well known or famous, but who touched our lives in significant ways and whose names are written on our hearts.

As you read this, it is near the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Certainly he touched our lives, our country, and our world in remarkable ways.   Former President Jimmy Carter tells the story in one of his books about attending the funeral of Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., father of the slain civil rights leader.   President Carter tells that during the funeral one of the pastor participating in the funeral spoke about the power of the hyphen.   The pastor said that most every gravestone has on it the name of the person and also the date they were born and the date they died.   In between the date of their birth and the date of their death is a hyphen.  Jimmy Carter tells that the pastor went on to speak about the fact that all of us have a date we are born and a date we die.   While none of us can control those dates, all of us are given a choice about what happens between our birth and death. 

Each of the persons listed above who died in 2018 left a legacy that will is lasting well after their death.  What will be our legacy?   One person put it this way:  “Our life is a gift from God.  What we do with that gift is our gift to God.”    Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   Living God, I thank you for the gift of my life and for the gift of new life in Christ.  Let your Spirit fall fresh on me to help me to live my life in a way that is pleasing in your sight; through Christ our Lord.  Amen.