Ashes to ashes…

During our Ash Wednesday service last week, my youngest daughter (3 years old) came forward with my wife to have ashes put on her head. She looked up at me with big eyes and asked, “Does it hurt, daddy?”

Of course I said, “No, honey,” but that got me thinking.

Ash Wednesday, and all of Lent for that matter, ought to hurt.  It is during this time of year especially that Christians look inward and see how much more God still has to work in us.  Our goal is to be conformed to the image of Christ, and we have a long way to go to reach that goal.  What we see inside, until we completely partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1.3-4), ought to hurt us because it hurts God and breaks His heart.

Now I am not trying to be masochistic here.  This ought to be a good hurt because it shows us where in our lives we need more divine help and in which areas we are to pray and ask for the prayers of others for us.

May you have a good, and painful Lent.

~ by stevebruns on March 2, 2009.