Craig T. Owens

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That’s the end of his life. All those years living and that’s all his obituary says: “and then he died.”

Genesis 5 is the lineage of Adam. A mind-numbing list of names and years scroll by:

• Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
• His son Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.
• His son Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.
• His son Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.
• His son Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.
• His son Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.
• And on and on and on….

For each man we hear the name of one of his sons and how long he lived, but nothing more. Like a modern-day tombstone:

Birth Date─Death Date

The dash between the dates covers childhood, schooling, marriage, inventions, parenthood, and so many other things. But years later, more and more of the details are forgotten and only the dash remains to represent the sum total of the deceased’s life.

And then comes Enoch.

All of the same details are there. Well, except for the “and then he died” epitaph. But actually, there’s so much more. Instead of a death, there’s a phrase that appears only for him: “Enoch walked with God.” The phrase literally means “to be continually conversant.”

Because Enoch lived this way, he didn’t really die. Instead, “He was no more.” He wasn’t here any longer because he is still walking with God. What an incredible blessing to his future generations! He was a blessing while he was alive, and he continues to be a blessing after he is no more.

Enoch’s tombstone reads differently from everyone else. The birth date is there, the dash is there, but instead of “and then he died” we read “he was no more.”

It’s the way I would want my tombstone to read:

Craig T. Owens

1966─He walked with God─He was no more (because he is still walking with God)

In The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey suggests living my life today consistent with what I would like said at my own funeral. It starts with a decision: “Today I will be continually conversant with God.” Then at my funeral, they can say of me, like the Bible says of Enoch: “He didn’t die. He’s just not here any longer. He is walking with God in heaven, just like he walked with Him here on earth.”

What do you want said about your dash?

Do you want your life to simply end with “and then he died”? Do you want something more?

Make your dash a continual conversation, a daily walk with God, and all of your future generations won’t see just a dash, they’ll remember “He is no more. He walked with God, and he is still walking with God!”

Start walking today!

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