Ash Wednesday

I am anything but an expert on Ash Wednesday, which this year is today (February 22). As a child growing up, my mom always had us celebrate Shrove Tuesday. I never knew why we did it. That was the one night each year we had pancakes for dinner. The reason we ate pancakes became clear to me much later in life, as in today when I read an article from Wikipedia on Shrove Tuesday. I have thought about Ash Wednesday more and more over the last nine years. On Ash Wednesday in 2003, we moved to Anoka, Minnesota. Since we had plates, cups, or cutlery (our stuff did not arrive for a few days) we went to a Perkins for dinner. Across the restaurant I saw a man with what looked like a black blotch on his head. I wondered why his wife did not tell him so he could wipe it off. Later when he walked closer to me, I noticed that the blotch was actually in the shape of a cross. Then I remembered it was Ash Wednesday. Though  most of us outside of the liturgical church may not know very much about Ash Wednesday and probably do not celebrate it, I think there might be good reason for us to pause and give some consideration to this day that has long been observed by the Western Church. Please take a few moments to read this article. It is challenging me to consider how Ash Wednesday maybe a good thing to include in my life as I follow the Lord Jesus.