“By the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it your were taken; you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

{Genesis 3.19, NRSV}

Perhaps, Ash Wednesday should be every day for we need to be reminded of what we are really made of.  In American society and in support of a capitalistic system, we are led to believe that we are more than the stuff under our feet, that if we climb the ladder or get to the top of the hill that we will not end up six feet under.  Certainly, we don’t want to be reminded that for all of our strivings, our labels, our titles, we are dust.  Yes, for all our gains, we end up right where we started.

Everyday, we need to hear that we should not stay put; instead, we were meant to be scattered because we are dust.  We should be easily moved by the Spirit because we are dust.  How are we so weighted down when we are dust?  How great is our God who values us beyond measure while knowing what we are made of, that we are dust?

It’s easy to forget.  Hard for us to see when our ego gets in the way.  But, we are dust.

“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”