But in the meantime, as Paul said, we await the redemption of our bodies. The best is yet to come, which is more fully described in Revelation 21 and 22. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.Ģ2 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Paul, the apostle, shares vital truths in Romans 8. Watching Him come through for us is what matters most in building faith and relationship with Him, which then translates to loving others well. After all, how fun would it be if everything went right all the time? Our dependence on God requires trials and difficulties. We were never promised a challenge-free life. We can also experience joy in our everyday activities accentuated by the WHY. As Christ followers, we can experience joy in knowing our ultimate fate. Fulfillment does come from why we do what we do. We don’t necessarily find happiness in our jobs every day, but we can feel fulfilled by our work every day if it makes us feel part of something bigger than ourselves. We don’t necessarily like our kids all the time, for example, but we do love them all the time. The difference between happiness and fulfillment is the difference between liking something and loving something.

Simon Sinek, best known for “Start with Why”, said this.

I find much more fulfillment in this in-between life when my focus is on the God of Love, not the god of me. The WHAT and the HOW come when I look for the fork in the road that points to love.

My WHY, has become much more important than the WHAT or the HOW. I’ve developed a relationship and an intimacy with Him which has brought me to a place where I want to yield control. Yes, we should want to serve Him – but not out of obligation or guilt – but out of love for Him and His people. I misinterpreted scripture to be more about doing than being. If I served on enough committees, gave enough money, got perfect attendance in church, and a host of other to-do’s, I would be accepted by God. So much of what I learned in my early years oriented me towards works. The future may be difficult, easy, fun, challenging, or engaging but I’m eager to see what tomorrow brings. Even if it felt and looked like it was for naught, God used the “wasted years” to form me into the person I now am – more grounded in my relationship with Him and my identity secure in His purposes for me. But I finally concluded that nothing was wasted. The activities of life that focused more on me than on what God had for me – those opportunities squandered that would have advanced my spiritual formation and preparedness for what God ultimately intended for my life. When I think back on my earlier days it feels like so much time was wasted on the mundane and insignificant. The “why” has everything to do with the legacy we leave and the influence of our dash. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” An inspiring look at life based on the fantastically successful poem.That dash on our tombstone – you know, the one that represents the life we lived between our start date and our end date? What we do during that time has eternal implications. Linda shares her message of joy, hope, and positive energy through uplifting stories, essays, and poetry, along with tales of people who have been 'touched by the dash,' including Bob Dole, legendary football coach Lou Holtz, and American Idol winner David Cook. Live Your Dash captures and expands upon the theme of the original poem: It's not your birth or death that matters most, but how you spend each passing year. That was the beginning of an enduring phenomenon. Calls came in from people around the country eager to tell Linda how her words had touched their hearts. In 1996, an announcer read Linda's Ellis's poem 'The Dash' aloud on a syndicated radio program-and, to her surprise, it became an instant, meteoric success. He noted that first came the date of her birth He referred to the dates on her tombstone

Poem your dash