1991 - ????

Everyone has a birthdate, and everyone has a deathdate. If one is famous, those two dates are usually a solid fact that everybody knows. If one is not famous, those dates may only be significant to a select few. However, it is the dash in between those dates that really matter.

I have solidly been thinking about that these past few days, and people have addressed the topic before. What do I do with my dash? What have I done, what am I doing, and what will I do with the life God has given me between the day I breathed my first breath, to the day I exhale for the last time. Will that dash make a difference in this world? Will it be important to anyone?

Someone mentioned a week or so ago this thought, "Often, time leaves its mark on us in one way or another, but what are we doing to leave our mark on time?" What did Elvis or Princess Di do that was so amazing, that millions of people can remember them? What is Carissa doing to make a difference, not necessarily to this whole world, but to one person's view on the world. Who will look at my headstone at my funeral and see more than a birthday and a deathday? Who will see my dash?

Often times I wonder if each person I know will look back on my life differently. If God choses to bless me with a husband, will he see me differently than my parents? Will my children see the work I do differently than my neighbors view it? I pray even now that my witness is solid to every person I know. I desire to be a person that is genuine and honest in every situation, keeping a level head and facing adversity, knowing Who has won. With that being said, I DO plan on being the same person in every circle of influence God choses to bless me with. I plan on making a difference.

I don't have major plans to change the world; I don't see my name going down in history. Not many Christian names do, but God's name does. If my life can bring glory to Him, then that is how I chose to live. I pray that my dash is continually in a state of worship and surrender to the Father.

Here I sit, at the end of 2010 looking back on all that God has done for me. That portion of my dash has passed. This next year can hold as many changes as the autumn leaves, or stay solidly the same. I am in favor of wherever God leads. I just pray that I never neglect an opportunity to make even the smallest impact on someone else. Time will not get the best of me, because I have the Creator of all time and existence on my side. And I must say, it is a wonderful place to be.