Rising from the Ashes

We’ve received our ashes.  We’ve sported them around all day proudly (perhaps some a bit sheepishly, which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing).  We’ve taken care not to smudge them when our foreheads itched – why do foreheads itch more on Ash Wednesday than on any other day?  We’ve compared them at the water cooler, admiring the work of some ministers while deriding the clumsiness of others.  Now what? 

Now’s the time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off (yes, you can wash off the ashes), and get to work on our Lenten disciplines.   Now’s the time to rise above the challenges in our lives and thank God for our many blessings.  Now’s the time to put down the mobile devices, lift our heads and look each other in the eyes.  Now’s the time to break from our daily routines, find what we really love to do and step up to do it for the benefit of others.  Now’s the time to rise from the ashes!