Ash Wednesday used to be my least favorite day of the year... My attempts to convince my parents to leave me at home when they left for the service were always in vain. I would complain about the greasy, crusty feeling ashes being wiped on my forehead and I really didn't want to spend an hour talking about how someday I was going to die. The service always seemed like a funeral, maybe my funeral, and it was something I wasn't interested in being a part of.
I can't exactly say when my opinion changed. In High School, when basketball games were scheduled consistently on Ash Wednesday every year, I started to go in and get my ashed before cheering at the games. The first time I missed the service, I asked to get my ashed out of habit rather than a deep need for them. I called my pastor and asked if he was around in the afternoon (although I already knew he would be) and drove over to church to receive my ashes and pray. I started to gain a new understanding through those 3 special Wednesdays of the meaning of my ashes.
Per tradition, ashes remind me of my unavoidable death. Yes, I came from dust and I will return to the dust one day. This I have accepted as a fact BUT this is not the main point of my ashes. My ashes remind me to LIVE! I only have one life, given to me and blessed by God and I need to constantly remember to "live like we're dying", live without regret, live for those I care about, for the future I want, for those I want to help. One way that I do this is telling the people I care about the most "I love you" every time I talk to them. This might seem a little overwhelming... some people claim that when you over say "I love you" it doesn't mean anything anymore. I disagree. I think when you mean it each time you say it, you need to say it as much as possible. You never know when the last time will be that you can say those words to someone you can't live without.
As we celebrate this Ash Wednesday, do something to LIVE... tell someone that you love them, make a difference in someones life (try smiling at a new face), go skydiving... whatever you can. "Life is a book... write a story worth reading"... "live like you are dying"... and give all the glory to Him who saves you!
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