Ash Wednesday

by Rachel Palm

Dust you are, and to dust you will return. 

During those first few weeks of pandemic and quarantine, I watched the sunset near my house almost every evening. There was a palpable sense of loss each time the sun sank behind the trees. Light, all gone. Darkness, ever present.

But I kept watching church services, kept listening to the Word, and kept trying to make music, even when it felt like the world was going to stop spinning. Why? Because I could hear my friends reciting the Lord’s Prayer over Zoom, and their faith and kindness helped me to believe in the reality of Christ. 

This Lent Project is much the same. In this past year, I have not always believed in the goodness of God. I have had nights of worry, and days of exhaustion, wondering if it was really possible for the world to be more crazy than it had been yesterday. The beauty each participant has contributed has fed and encouraged me. Through their meditation on the Word, my friends have reminded me of the fruit that may grow in affliction, of the brightness that exists alongside sadness, and of God’s luminous love shining in the darkness. What hope and joy I myself have brought to this project is due in large part to the faithfulness of friends, and the unending kindness of God. May these words, art pieces, and songs nourish all of our hearts, and help us approach the Word with fresh eyes during this season of repentance. 

This day, as you begin Lent, I encourage you to look for where there is brightness alongside your sadness.

Rachel Palm is a piano teacher and blogger living in Greenville, SC. She loves seeing words, music, and art nourish the people of God. When she isn’t playing the piano, she enjoys reading long books, finding a new trail to hike with her friends, or writing fantasy stories.