Romans 12:3
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.”
“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
This is the phrase that is spoken as ashes are imposed on our foreheads each Ash Wednesday. What does this mean to you? Have you ever thought of yourself as “not dust?” How did such thinking change your behavior toward yourself? toward others?
Prayer
I am a moment, but You, O God, are forever…eternal. The truth is…I can get all high and mighty, and when I elevate myself and think that I’m all that, I see everything and everyone as beneath me and I treat them like dirt. Today, You remind me that I’m dirt too—no better, no different than anyone else. Forgive me for my arrogance. Forgive me for judging others as “less than” me. Restore me to “sober judgment” so that I can be in right relationship with You and in right relationship with my neighbor. Amen.
Tongue on Fire 