Ashes

When a forest fire roared its way through the mountains near my hometown, the sky was filled with ash for miles. No one could help but know and mourn that the heritage of many were on fire, and all that was left, was ashes.

Ashes are the remains of something that once was.

There’s an old expression that my Grandmother used to favorite that says “you’re playing with fire.” When I hear that, or even now when it comes out of my mouth, in her tone, at my own children, I know that we are on the edge of doing some serious damage to something or someone, because while fire can feel warm, it ultimately destroys.

Ashes are the aftermath of a fire’s destruction.

In the Bible, there are many references to ashes and dust, most of which have to do with demonstrative grief, or a wrestling with the truth of our mortality for, “All are from the dust, and to dust all return.” (Ecclesiastes 3:20) In some of the greatest moments of mourning, men and women clothed themselves in “sackcloth and ashes” using the bare, humiliating material to demonstrate how low they felt, and covering themselves with ashes like pyres smoldering after consumption.

Ashes are the evidence of our soul’s anguish when we feel our sin exposed, our grief overwhelm, or our dreams die.

The truth is, fire burns not just to destroy, but to purify. Ashes are often what is left of what needed to die for something new to be born. Ashes remind us that everything we see and everyone we know has limits. Ashes remind us that this life on Earth has an end, but they also can remind us that in Christ, they are only part of the end.

So here we sit, on Ash Wednesday, which in the Western Christian Church, marks the beginning of Lent, a 40 day season of preparation that culminates in the celebration of Easter. During Lent, one takes the opportunity to examine the heart, to make way the coming of the Lord. (Isaiah 40:3) This can take on a myriad of forms, but many take the opportunity to fast. Fasting is simply the process of denying oneself of something in order to be more attentive to the activity of God. For some people, this could look cutting back on food or drinks that they use to distract or overindulge themselves. For others, its a deliberate choice to abstain from an activity like TV watching, phone usage, social media, or some other kind of vice. The main point being, no matter what you choose to do, you make space to examine what needs to go so the Savior can come. A burning, if you will, of what needs to die, so that He might live in You.

So why does this start with Ashes? For one, I think it reminds us how far we’ve come. We truly were formed from dust and it is our destiny this side of Heaven to return to it. (Genesis 3:19) With that, we are still precious and loved by the One who made us from that dust. So precious, He sent His Son, to be come like us, the dusty ones, be tempted and tried in every way (thus where the 40 days of Lent comes from, Jesus’ temptation), to be pushed, to be followed, to be abandoned, and to willingly give up His life so that He could beat back the Dust Eater’s hold on us. (Genesis 3:14-15). Jesus crushed the serpent into the ashes of the Earth by rising from the dead, and making way for us to be able to not just return to the dust, but to return to HIM. Here and now, and forevermore, Jesus is making all things new. Every time we present an offering, letting it burn in us, He bestows beauty for the ashes.

And that, is why we start with ashes. For from the ashes, comes new life.

In theory, I hope to share here and on my instagram about my Lent journey for this year. I can’t make any major promises on consistency, but I do promise honesty. If you are walking through this season too, I’d love to hear about it. If you need some help on where to start, here are a few GREAT resources:

-She Reads Truth reading plan for Lent
-Daily Grace Co. has a $5 Bible Study sale going on. It doesn’t have to be a Lent study, we just need to follow the Lord where He leads in the Word.
-The Passion of the King of Glory by Russ Ramsey provides 40 brief chapters, 1 for each day of Lent, of fictionalized accounts of Jesus’ road to the cross and His resurrection. If you need an assist in breathing life to the “old story,” this would be a great tool for you.
-If you, like me, are doing any kind of digital detox or social media fast, I cannot suggest this program enough called Freedom. You can use it on your phone or your laptop, etc to help block certain sites for a season, or during sections of the day. It is totally customizable whether that’s focusing while you are at work, blocking off shopping sites to curb your spending, or whatever the Lord has led you to, its one of the best tools I have ever used to help with this generally, but especially right now as I attempt to stop letting my phone use me instead of me using it.

Praying that today, you let whatever it is that has been laid before you burn like an offering placed on the altar of God. May it rise like a sweet smelling incense to Him, and may the ashes that remain remind you that you are loved.

*The Daily Grace Co and Freedom links are affiliate links, but are both companies I use and believe in.