Dust Loves. Dust Gathers. Dust Heals.
Ash Wednesday Love by Lil Smith
Genesis 3:19 You are dust, and to dust you shall return. (NRSV)
I am dust.
I am fragile.
I can be blown places I do not want to go.
Sometimes I leave marks I don’t want to leave.
I am dust.
I am temporary.
But, I matter.
And, my voice matters.
Some try to silence the truth.
The truth lives in the dust.
Let the Breath of Life reveal the truth.
I am dust.
I will return.
I will return to the One who created me.
The One who will give me strength.
The One who goes before me and with me and behind me.
The One who forgives me and forgets.
I am dust.
I will return.
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 (NRSV)
[W]e entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NRSV)
I remember the first time I felt called by God. It wasn’t the Apostle Paul’s lightning bolt experience. It was, however, a lightning bolt to my heart that shattered the wall the world and I had built up around it. My heart was so full, I thought it would burst.
While attending a Pilgrimage (Cursillo) 3-day weekend in 2003, I heard God’s call to me, “You are my beloved.” I heard it through the voices of those who invited me, those who loved me (and still do) unconditionally, those who take time to listen to me and truly care about my journey. I heard for the first time how God wants a relationship with me. All God asks of me is to glorify God in all that I do.
After this experience of love, I really understand how all are called to be God’s people. All are called to glorify God in all things. If we think glorifying God leads to violence or tearing someone down, this is false and not a correct interpretation of scripture. Paul tells us in Romans all who love God are called according to his purpose.
All have the invitation to love God.
To know God is to love God and all of God’s beloved.
We love God by loving all of God’s children.
For God first loved me.
And God first loved you.
Go.
Love.
With a grateful heart,
Lil
Dust Gathers…
Dust gathers.
There is no doubt about it.
It gathers high and low, on small spaces and large spaces.
It is not noticeable alone.
It takes many pieces of dust to be seen.
This does not diminish the unnoticed piece.
For each piece of dust makes a difference.
Each piece of dust makes a difference to the other dust it encounters.
Does the dust bless or curse?
Today, sit with this idea of the impact you make on the world as a piece of dust. Where do you bless? Where do you curse? How does God want to transform you into God’s agent of blessing?
I am grateful to all those who I encounter today as agents of blessing. I pray that I may live beyond myself and be a blessing to others.
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider each other carefully for the purpose of sparking love and good deeds. (CEB)
Dust Heals…
Dust
Dusty road
Dusty boots
Dusty boots walking the road
Aching feet, oozing blisters, holes in soles
Dusty boots have stories to tell
Stories that heal
Dust
Dusty wheel
Dusty hands
Dusty hands moulding the chalice
Stiff fingers, cakey palms, covered in clay
Dusty hands have stories to tell.
Stories that heal
Dust
Dusty table
Dusty words
Dusty words proclaiming new life
Death threats, broken body, holes in hands
Dusty words have a stories to tell
Stories that heal
May Ash Wednesday love stir your soul, awaken you, and send you into a wilderness searching for the truth so that you may turn to the One who gives you strength, love and forgiveness. Enter into the Truth, and see the journey with fresh eyes, real words, and new ears. Hear the stories that heal.
Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. (CEB)
With a grateful heart,
Lil
© 2022 Rev. Dr. Lil Smith
This poem was written by Rev. Dr. Lil Smith and originally published on her website. Lil is a trained spiritual director, supervisor and the co-founder of Retreat House Spirituality Center.