Today stumbled across a great article about a photographer, Greg Miller, who loves taking pictures on Ash Wednesday. And although I love his photos and most of what he said, one thing that he said really struck me. He said that one of the reasons that he appreciates Ash Wednesday is because people "exercise the simple act of wearing their faith for this one day a year."
Don't get me wrong--I, too, think it's cool to see people with ashes on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday. I actually love seeing people at the gym, in the grocery store, or in the elevator on their way to the office with ashes in the sign of the cross on their foreheads. I find it inspiring and comforting and awesome.
But the quote above really struck me and made me realize that we may be doing something really, really wrong as Christians if it's true that to outsiders (and to each other) people do not identify us as such the other 364 days of the year. We should not have to wear our faith in a physical way in order for people to recognize us as followers of Jesus.
Jesus calls us to "wear our faith" every day. Maybe not in the form of ashes on our forehead, but in how we live our lives. It should not take a Wednesday in February for people to know if we are Christians. We should be living, and treating others, in a manner that shows this every day of the year. We are called to be a light--a city on a hill--the salt of the earth--Christ's hands and feet. This has nothing to do with wearing outward signs of faith, but everything to do with living our lives in light of what we believe.
The title of the article that started this all is "Excuse Me, You Have Something On Your Forehead." I heard that more than once today. I wish that I could say that once during the rest of the year someone stopped me and said, "Excuse me, you are acting a lot like Jesus."
So last night, when I washed the ashes off of my own forehead, I couldn't help but resolve to do something tomorrow, and then every day after that which would show my belief and my faith in Christ to others....to live my life as though I were wearing invisible ashes.
*Photo via
6 comments:
Beautiful my friend!
BOKG
LOVE the post! Well said!!
~LOKG
Great post! I totally agree :) Thanks for the food for thought this morning!
What a beautiful and well-written post. I agree as well. I'll try to do the same.
Amen sister! I often wonder the same thing-does anyone who doesn't see me sitting in church know that I'm a Christian? Sadly the answer is probably not. Thanks for inspiring me (as you seem to do a lot) to act like Jesus!
So soooo good. LOVE THIS!!!
I ran across this (sorta long) this morning. It is from one of the VERY early Church Fathers, but your post totally tied into what was said here (Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus):
"For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs
which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor
lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been
devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim
themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian
cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in
respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As
citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred."
What do you think? Like what you said, huh?
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