Today, Christians marked the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday.
Christians believe Jesus suffered and died on the cross bearing the weight of all of our sins in order to secure salvation for anyone who believes in Him.
Maybe you're cold, hungry or mourning the loss of someone you love. Perhaps you're out of a job and you're angry.
No matter what has happened, we Christians can find comfort in Christ's own suffering and in His death for us.
In the book of John, Jesus reminds us, “Don't let your hearts be troubled and don't be afraid.”
He goes before us always.
I love the symbolism of the ashes. We will return to the dust from which God made us.
A lot of us will give up something in the next 40 days, whether you're a believer or not, as a sign of sacrifice to refocus on what is truly important.
Despite what has happened the last 48 hours and in the past year, let us hang on to the promise of Easter.
In this world we're always going to have trouble. But not even this storm, COVID-19 or any hardship can remove His peace.
For God so loved the world that He gave his only son. That's why we mark this Ash Wednesday with hope, a hope that's open to anyone.