Ashes to Ashes

For lots of people, Lent is about giving something up. Some people give up sugar or sweets in order to lose weight, some people give up watching tv or social media. None of these support why we celebrate lent, lent is not about personal gain but rather spiritual gain. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus - his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection. That's the purpose of this blog for me over the next 40 days. I hope to spend a little time each day talking with God, praying with him, and sharing some thoughts about how great our God is. Rather than just writing each day and keeping it between me and God, I thought I would share it with y'all to keep myself accountable. Let me know how I can pray for you and how you are enjoying today!

Today is Ash Wednesday, and before today I never knew the exact reason for the day. I always just thought it was the beginning of the Lent season, and we just went to church and the Pastor would put a cross of ashes on our heads. After a little research, heres what I found about Ash Wednesday... The ashes on our forehead are there to remind us that we are not of this world and are made for eternity with God. It is our intent to die to our world desires and live in Christ. As the ashes are put on our foreheads we are told, "Remember, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." Wow. That is such a powerful message. But it is such a beautiful message too. We are human. We are sinners. We are in need of a savior. God gives us the chance to repent, to become new, and to seek Him. We are giving the season of Lent to grow closer to him spiritually.

All of this reminded me of one of my favorite songs, "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. In the song it says "You make beautiful things out of dust." God gives us the ability to make our lives beautiful again, not through worldly goods but by living our lives through Him. It later says "Hope is springing up from this old ground. Out of chaos life is being found, in you." We can completely transform our lives by following Christ and embodying him through everything you do. He is making you new. Take a little time to listen to this song and see how He can transform you from dust to something beautiful. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1spkhp41ig4)

"So I turned to the Lord God in prayer and did not eat. I dressed in cloth made from hair, and threw ashes on myself. I prayed to the Lord my God and told him the sins of my people, saying, “O Lord, you are great and we fear You. You keep Your agreement and show loving-kindness to those who love You and keep Your Laws." Daniel 9:3-4