Ashes to Ashes

This week the saying, “from ashes you came and ashes you will return,” took on a new meaning for me. On Monday morning, my great aunt Donna Johnston passed away and with this death I have been thinking about what it means to become ashes. Ashes have no distinguishing color, characteristic or even design. (I mean have you ever heard of people making ash-flakes?) Basically ashes are simply a grey pile of nothingness. They are completely undistinguishable from another lump of ashes.

And yet the in-between time, between ashes to ashes, there is life, variety, creativity, individuality. We are created out of the same elements but through God’s breath and design we were created to live and respond differently. And during our short amount of time on this Earth, we have the opportunity to express ourselves in new and poignant ways.

Working with kids I am reminded of how much we (as a culture) are influenced to look or act a certain way. Oftentimes, children and teens struggle with fitting into a certain mold or expectation. We struggle with wanting to be the “same,” to really look undistinguishable from the other “popular” ones. And yet as I have been contemplating my aunt’s death I am reminded that we all return as ashes.

We begin and end the same.

Yet in the middle we were created to be different. Romans 12:6 tells us that “we have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” I am reminded of beautiful snowflakes crafts. They all begin with the same white paper and scissors. Yet when each child finishes, no two look the same. We aren’t created to hide or conform our uniqueness. Instead we have the opportunity, no responsibility, to lead with them. Because once our time is over, it is to ashes we return.

I am reminded this week of my uniqueness, of the gifts God has blessed me with and the ability to create a unique impact on this world. I am reminded of how easy it is to want to live on autopilot or to try to conform to a certain pattern of expectations for living. Yet, this is the time I have. This is the time I have to make a difference. This is the time I have to demonstrate what it means to fully love God and others through every aspect of my being. This is our time. May we be challenged to live boldly this week as we seek to express ourselves through living out the great commandment in our own uniqueness.