rest in him

Day 08

So, if you’ve been with us through the 90 Days with Life Souvenirs journey so far, you know that we are going through an abbreviated version of my Live the Dash Challenge (click the link to find out more about the challenge).

Today’s prompt from the challenge is on the topic rest in him.

What stands out or intrigues you about Mt 11:28-30?

Paid subscribers get the remaining prompts from today’s section of the Live the Dash challenge at the end of this post. Everyone else, the rest of the prompts are in the companion workbook that you can get for free if you are in the Life Souvenirs chat in the Substack app.

What exactly is “Live the Dash”? The title was inspired by this poem.

The Dash Poem (By Linda Ellis)

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
From the beginning...to the end

He noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
Know what that little line is worth

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars...the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering this special dash
Might only last a little while

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent YOUR dash?

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And this brings us to today’s song of the day from the 90 Days playlist.

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And now more from my personal story….

Normally, I share something from my personal story here. So, here it goes. When I was 21 I got pregnant. I wasn’t married. I found out I was pregnant the same day I found out the father of the baby got engaged to the girlfriend he had told me he dumped months before. Growing up as an adoptee in a pro-life religion, home and even went to classes about being anti-abortion etc, I was expecting my parents to be angry or disappointed - but didn’t expect them to demand I get an abortion and never speak of it again.

I researched abortion and when I learned of the actual risks people don’t want you to know about, I decided to go through with the pregnancy - even if it meant I would lose my family. I was associated with a Christian University at the time. I didn’t tell anyone who the father was except for the father. He told his friends and fiance’ that I was pregnant and that I was accusing him of being the father - but it wasn’t true. His friends and especially his fiance’ spread all kinds of lies about me etc. It was brutal.

My friends - what real friends I had that stood by me anyway - tried to argue with his friends and bring their stories to me and I finally just said, “Hey this doesn’t help. I appreciate it - but I just need to focus on the pregnancy - not what anyone thinks - and I need your support. That’s it.” And they were awesome. Eventually, the father of the baby accepted responsibility at least with his friends and fiance’ who called things off and he got them off my back.

In the midst of all of that turmoil plus three hospitalizations, I found peace. How? Because I turned to God. I spent time in prayer, Scripture and journaling… getting things in my life back on track.

I may not have been dying at that time, but the crisis certainly put things in perspective.

Anything happen in your life that brought you some perspective?

Until tomorrow,

MelAnn

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