Dust to Dust

"By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." -Genesis 3.19

During college I had the opportunity to intern with an awesome youth pastor, he's one of the men I respect most in this world. As the new year began to approach he started talking about doing a service on Ash Wednesday, using ashes. I had never been a part of anything like this before, but as I had taken a class on Church History I began to understand the significance of the liturgical year.

Yes, I know it's January, but this is where the Bible has us today. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, forty days before Easter. In that time people give something up, a fast, in order to prepare themselves to focus more fully on God, in preparation for the celebration of Easter. That year was my junior year, and prior to youth group that night a friend and I went to an Ash Wednesday service at noon that day, just checking it out. We went forward to have ashes placed on our foreheads, and as the priest made a cross with them he said these words, "Ashes to Ashes. Dust to dust."

The meaning is incredible. As you enter into this time of sacrifice to prepare to celebrate the resurrection, go into with the reminder that you are dust. Humility is the key here. What are we really? In Genesis 2, we see that God forms man from the dust of the earth, and gives him life by breathing into him the breath of life. Man is dust, and one day, when he is no longer able to say the name of God, to dust he will return.

As we go through life let us keep this fact in mind. How insignificant are we really? Dust is something we sweep up and throw out, and that is what we are made of. Apart from God, all we are good for is being thrown out. But in this we also see the incredible love of God. He cared enough to form man from dust and give him life. And then, after man brought a curse on all of creation, God still loved him enough to redeem him. And man has the audacity to blame God for anything?

As we go through our lives let us remember who we are. Let us live with humility, knowing that one day, no matter the wealth or success we accumulated, we shall return to dust. So let us take the time we have and make the most of it. As William Wallace said, "Every man dies. Not every man really lives." Let us live our lives fully alive, to the glory of God. Dust to dust, with a lot of glorification in between, which leads to eternal glorification of the Father.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor