Growing up I always wondered why I would see people with a black cross on their forehead right before spring. I remember hearing people talk about Ash Wednesday and having not come from a denomination that observes that day, I didn’t quite understand. I was never interested in discovering the meaning of it until my three-year-old daughter came home from pre-school one day with a black cross on her forehead. My children go to Lutheran School, and this caused me to study the rituals and observances of other denominations to educate myself, and intelligently explain to my children why we did or didn’t practice certain things.
I found it to be quite interesting what today means for so many denominations. People stand in line to receive ashes in order to publicly display their sorrow and regret for the sins committed throughout the previous year. Personally I think it’s quite noble to display repentance in such a public way. Yet as I’ve spoken to my children about it throughout the years, we’ve discussed how we should not wait for one day a year to show sorrow and repentance for the sins we commit, but daily we should come to God with a heart that is contrite and repented, and have a daily conversation with Him about us (individually).
I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful that I have immediate access to Him!!! Hebrews 4:16 reminds me of that when it says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Truth is, we all fail, we all sin, and we all need access to Him! If you observe Ash Wednesday, I’m not here to tell you that you’re wrong. I really do think that as believers we should be more conscious of the life we lead, and of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for our sins; yet personally I cannot make it something ritualistic, I need to honor HIM, DAILY!!! So I guess that makes everyday an Ash Wednesday for me, not that I live always regretting my past, but I live with the HOPE that what I need, I receive because I have ready access through His grace!!!
So if you’ve lived your life not really thinking about how you lead it, and have not taken the time to think about Christ, His sacrifice, and what it means for you, why don’t you take today, ASH WEDNESDAY, not to run over and get some ashes, but to surrender your heart to Him, ask forgiveness, and begin a walk, a daily walk that HONORS Him in every area of your life. Allow His Word to reveal to you the access is already yours, you just need to be bold enough to take advantage of it!
Hebrews 4:12, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
