"...I am nothing but dust and ashes."
(Genesis 18:27)
According to a wise rabbi of ages past, each of us should carry two slips of paper in our pockets. On one should be written "I am but dust and ashes." On the other, "The world was created for me." From time to time we must reach into one pocket or the other. The secret of living a balanced life comes from knowing when to reach into each pocket.
Lent, the 40 day period leading up to Good Friday, starts tomorrow. Perhaps this is a good time to take from our pocket the paper that reminds us, "I am but dust and ashes".
Culturally we are distracted by many things and have lost the discipline of reflection and self-contemplation. Despite the poor economy, we live in a country of great wealth compared to the rest of the world and don't often practice self-denial or sacrifice.
Yet that is what the season of Lent calls us to.
It is an opportunity to look inward and reflect on the state of our souls; an opportunity for greater humility, disciplined prayer, self-denial and sacrifice.
It is a time to consider on a deeper level the greatest mystery of the universe: "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
It is a time to enter into His suffering; a time to consider the Cross, the symbol of a violent death yet the door to eternal life with Jesus.
It is a time of ashes.
I invite you to check in on this site occasionally during these next 40 days as we journey to the Cross through the Word of God, remembering we are but dust and ashes.
Culturally we are distracted by many things and have lost the discipline of reflection and self-contemplation. Despite the poor economy, we live in a country of great wealth compared to the rest of the world and don't often practice self-denial or sacrifice.
Yet that is what the season of Lent calls us to.
It is an opportunity to look inward and reflect on the state of our souls; an opportunity for greater humility, disciplined prayer, self-denial and sacrifice.
It is a time to consider on a deeper level the greatest mystery of the universe: "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
It is a time to enter into His suffering; a time to consider the Cross, the symbol of a violent death yet the door to eternal life with Jesus.
It is a time of ashes.
I invite you to check in on this site occasionally during these next 40 days as we journey to the Cross through the Word of God, remembering we are but dust and ashes.
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