Ash Wednesday Reflection by Frank Showers
- Painting by Bill Rogers
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. –Matt.6:19-21
O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it, for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment. –Henry David Thoreau
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The popular tradition is to give up something you treasure to remember the sacrifice of Christ. This Lenten practice can be valuable if you need to diet or stop some offensive habit. But is that its real intent and value?
Jesus and Thoreau see it differently. Treasure is not about possession. What we value–a slimmer waist line or a perfectly ordered life are not ultimately worth it. When we hang on to them for dear life we miss their real beauty. Their significance is in their enjoyment as gift and not as that which validates our self worth.
If our Lent is about self improvement we will lose its richer meaning. We will miss basking in the wonder of God’s unconditional love and will bypass an opportunity to grow in a deeper relationship with the One who loves us so dearly. How do we do that?
Try It: Give up the precious treasure of time and make more space in your day to pray and read scripture. Give some of your earnings to those who need money more than you do. Fast from food to learn how hard it is to surrender your will. By doing these things discover the joy of a love that keeps on giving and is hindered only when attempts are made to possess it.
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