Lenten Word 11: Dust

Air conditioning is a marvelous invention. More so for those who live in warm places. I did not know air conditioning as a personal blessing until my first night in my college dorm. All my thirteen years in Kingsville, and five years in Houston, were warm to hot years, those of thanking God for fans. As a child I remember seeing my mother and grandmother dusting. My early years in Kingsville saw caliche streets which are famous for the dust they produce. I remember seeing neighbors hosing down their portion of the street in order to minimize the dust that passing cars would produce. It seemed futile; all dust ends up inside your home. For those homes near us with air conditioning I thought, what a luxury to live in cool rooms and not have dust to worry about. I imagined closed windows and closed doors were sealed windows and doors that would not let dust penetrate their homes. Alas, now I know too well, dust finds its way inside even in air conditioned homes.

I confess to knowing how dirt tastes. Kingsville dirt, compared to Houston's dirt was amazing tasty. My sister who follows me in age, was a true connoisseur of dirt; a habit it took years to break. I think when she went into college she stopped eating dirt. But I'm not sure. I don't know if it was a Kingsville thing or just something kids try, but it was plentiful and what the heck, let's try it. Please know that I am in no way advocating for you to sample dirt. I am confessing to a childhood act. I confess to knowing how water turns dirt into mud, and many a fine mud fight occurred in my life, and the muddiest I ever got was in a rodeo arena near Lon Morris College for some hazing that I received. One of the funnest days of my life!

Not too long ago, ashes mixed with oil were applied to my forehead. The pastor who applied them said to me, "You are dust and to dust you will return." In Genesis 2:7, the writer says God formed a man out of the dust, later in 3:19 we read, "You are dust, and to dust you shall return." Job said of himself at the close of his book, "therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

The purpose of ashes is to remind us that true fasting and true repentance in biblical stories involved sackcloth and ashes. We find that imagery in several stories where people truly repented of their sins. We even see in Jonah that such was the power of God's message that the decree offered said even the herds and flocks would wear sackcloth.

Our Lenten Journey begins and ends with a reminder of our mortality. Our time on earth is limited even for those who reach a 100 years of age and a little beyond. But, we are reminded that this Lenten season ends with He who rose from the dead and gives us victory over sin and death. His message was ever that of not being afraid. God is with us, and God will have the last word.

PRAYER: Amazing God, stay with us, bless us, use us, and help us be a living witness to all victories in this life, even in the life beyond. We pray this in the Name of He who died and rose for us all, Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.