Dust to Dust – Ash Wednesday Reflection

Ecclesiastes 3:20 — All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.

It’s something people are either uncomfortable discussing or obsessed with — one’s mortality.

When I was younger, I was a bit enamored with the idea of death. As time went on, I grew afraid of what it meant (losing loved ones — feeling the void of missing family members and friends and having to find a new “normal” after their passing). But when I had to face my own mortality nearly three years ago (near-fatal heart attack), I was struck with the futility of seeking earthly rewards and pleasures.

When you come to the end of yourself, of your life, everything gets strip away and all that is left is what’s on the “other side.” You take nothing with you, not even your own body.

This is when God becomes very, very real.

At least, this was what happened to me.

Nothing mattered to me, nothing on this planet, nothing. What mattered, at that moment, was where I stood with God. I was either going to be with Him, or I would be eternally separated.

That was a void I could not fathom — or bear.

At some point, each one of us wonders what happens after we die. Many believe that our bodies return to dust, and our spirit is released into the universe; or worse, there is nothing after we close our eyes for the final time.

Many believe there is a God, and that we all will go to Heaven after death.

No matter what your belief, the truth is that we are mortal. Death comes to everyone, and our bodies will turn to dust.

Even Jesus confronted death and crossed the threshold. He knows and understands what it’s like to face our own mortality. That’s why we have Easter — His resurrection ensures our salvation from an eternal death and into an eternal life of redemption, joy, and beauty.

Romans 5:12–19: Sin and death entered through one man, but grace triumphs through Jesus.

Don’t you want to be confident in knowing what will happen to you after the death of your body?

Let Jesus be your confidence for through Him comes peace in knowing that your future is certain and eternal.

John 5:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Prayer

Dear Jesus,

I am unsure where I’m going if I should die today.

I know that you died on the cross for me so that I could go to Heaven. I ask that you forgive my sins and save me.

I want to know this peace and hope that I’ve heard about. I want to experience them personally.

Thank you, Jesus for dying for me. For taking my sins, and for giving me an eternal life with you in your Kingdom.

A-men.