Scripture (NRSV): Genesis 2:7
“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground…”
Reflection:
Today, we are marked with ashes — or at least we remember what they signify. “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These words are not threats. They are truth. They remind us that we are finite, mortal, and vulnerable.
In a world that pushes us to create a sense of invincibility, Ash Wednesday reveals the truth. We can’t control everything. We can’t protect ourselves from every loss. We can’t earn our way into immortality. We are dust — made from earth, reliant on breath.
But Genesis does not stop at dust. God breathes into it. Breath transforms dirt into living beings. Fragility into relationship. Mortality into meaning. Dust without breath is despair. Dust with breath is dignity.
Your Star Word resides in that space. It is not a command to prove yourself; rather, it is a whispered invitation to grow. Courage. Compassion. Rest. Trust. Whatever word you hold, it meets you not as a demand but as guidance.
Ashes ground us. Words guide us. Together, they invite honesty and hope. As we begin Lent, we do not pretend to have strength we do not possess. We bring our whole selves — limits and longing — trusting that the God who formed us from dust is still shaping us into love.
Application:
Hold your Star Word and ask: What must die in me for this word to grow?
Writing Prompt:
Where in your life are you pretending to be stronger than you actually feel?
Prayer:
Breathing God,
form me anew.
Where I am fragile, strengthen me.
Where I am proud, humble me.
Where I am tired, breathe into me again.
Amen.