Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the day the Western church begins the church season of Lent. We remembered that all of us came from dust and will return to dust. We are mortal beings living in a broken world, and there is nothing that we can do about it. Ash Wednesday reminded me of the fragility of life and how much is out of my control.
And on the flip side, Ash Wednesday pointed me to my need for God. I came from dust and will return to dust, but his love is everlasting. In a world where so much is out of my control, I trust in the God who holds all things together. That same God who is holding all things together came to earth to live, die, and rise again so that we too can die and rise in Christ. The ashes are not the end of the story, because God’s love is everlasting.
This tension between the ashes and His steadfastness frames my life well now. As I prepare to move to China and live cross-culturally, I know that I am fragile and that there are few things in life that I can control. I can’t control how people will support me. I can’t control the unpredictability of living in another culture. I can’t control what will happen to my family while I am far away. From dust I came and to dust I will return…
…but God’s love is forever. In the midst of the unpredictability, I am learning to trust more deeply in the God who holds it all together. I am trusting He will provide for my every need, even the ones I don’t know I have yet. And I am looking forward to seeing the ways God cares for me.
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