What are you doing with the “dash” in your life?
There is the day we are born and the day we die.
And, the dash is all of that time in between those two dates.
The questions we need to ask ourselves is are you stewarding things? Or, are you stewarding people?
Most would not argue that much of the American dream has consisted of living in the typical “rat race” mentality. We go to school and work. Our goal is to make money, buy a home, and fill it with stuff.
Then, we rinse and repeat.
As a result, we become a slave to the things we own. We spend time cleaning it, replacing it, storing it, selling it, and more often than not we become bored with it rather quickly. You and I both know that we were made for so much more.
We were made for relationships.
Relationship with our Heavenly Father and relationship with those He has given us here on this earth. We have got to do better. We cannot let our stuff hinder our relationships.
So, will your impact be one your children and grandchildren will be proud of and benefit from?
As we navigate the “dash,” we will tend to live in one of three places- the past, present, or future.
And, this mentality will impact how we view the stuff we have accumulated over time.
When we hold on to the past, we tend to hold on to the things we believe hold the memory of the loved one we associate the object with. We struggle to let go, although it is often these types of objects that end up stored in our cupboards, our closets, and our attics.
As a result, the clutter overwhelms us and can prevent us from moving forward in life.
This kind of living keeps us focused on what has already been.
On the flip side, we may be future oriented. Our focus is on those things we want to someday acquire. There is that room full of projects we will get to eventually. Our garage is full of boxes we might need.
We may be storing up that coin collection or baseball card collection that might be worth something one day.
This kind of distracted living keeps us focused on tomorrow and beyond.
So, it is time to let go of the things that are preventing us from living in the present.
Instead of waiting until it is too late, we should live with intentionality now and structure our homes and our lives to bless others. Let go of those things that hinder your home from being relationship-centered.
Although framed by past and future living, present living is true living.
