It says it doesn’t matter what day you were born or died, but all that matters is the dash in between. The dash is symbolic of your life and how you lived it.

I am sometimes a little amused when I read obituaries in the newspaper or hear what is said at some people’s funerals. Whoever the deceased was, it seems he or she was the greatest person who ever lived. There was never a person more compassionate, more loving or more caring. This is because when someone dies, we want to say the best about him or her.

But what if all the truth were told at all the funerals? What if someone stood up and said, this person was selfish, stubborn and argumentative? He squandered his life. More than a few of us were taken advantage of by him. He didn’t care about others. For the most part, he cared more about himself and was self-centered—he always had to be right and was a know-it-all about everything.

Of course, we would never say that. Instead, we might be tempted to stretch the truth about how wonderful the person was.

If someone were to sum up your life, what would he or she say you lived for? What will others remember you for? That will be your legacy. Wouldn’t you like it to be honestly said of you, “This person loved God. He [or she] cared about the things of God. He really cared about other people. This person really lived for his Lord, and served unselfishly his family and the body of Christ.”

None of us wants to participate in the ultimate waste! That waste is to squander your life. Yet we know that many people do. One day, we will breathe our last breath. One day, we will make our last statement. What will we be remembered for?

God’s Word counsels us from cover to cover to live a life that matters. Live a life that makes a difference. Live a life for Him, and you will never regret it.