Dust to Dust
Dust to Dust
All words by Tanner Olson
Disrupting the garden,
He stirred up the ground,
breathing life into the dust:
God’s image became us.
And He walked among us.
With us.
Side by side,
God and I, until I chose the worst and left His side.
Sin tastes like the first bite of the fruit.
Biting off more than our world could chew,
I gnawed on the dark of night,
swallowing separation,
digesting a need for salvation.
My mouth is no different than Adam’s.
And my hands are guilty like Eve’s.
I’ve run like Jonah, lied like David.
Like Matthew I’ve been a cheater.
And I’ve sunk and denied like Peter.
I’ve hated like Paul; I am a product of the fall.
And I’ve hammered nails into Christ’s hands like the men
who watched Him complete God’s master plan.
He washed down our forbidden bite, drinking the cup for our eternal life.
I live somewhere between lost and found,
a tension between answers and questions.
And I need the wilderness to understand
why death was part of His glorious plan,
To wander in the sinking mess I am,
To search within the silence and lock arms with emptiness.
Hollow out my insides
and may I crave what can only be quenched
by your love and life.
Satisfy my sorrow, sing alive my soul.
My sin is dark like Friday.
A thin shadow cast from the cross between my eyes,
Where You hung dead is where I came alive.
You took on death and decay.
The price you paid,
The sacrifice you made
Made a way.
Made a way for us to come back to your side.
You swallowed death, drowning beneath our sea of sins.
But hope doesn’t let the story end.
And our demise was met with Christ crucified.
Life and death collide as my steps echo those fateful,
those faithful words:
“Dust you are and to dust you will return.”
But when You return
these ashes will rise like flames reaching for the night sky.
And it was Your death that gave us new life.
You rose waking these dead bones alive.
In You, love cannot fail, fear cannot prevail.
“Dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Dust to dust,
Your life, my trust.
Your resurrection: hope for us.
With hope,
Tanner
Ash Wednesday rubs reality in our face.
It doesn’t sugarcoat the truth or attempt to make us smile.
With urgency and without a filter Ash Wednesday invites us to examine ourselves
Ash Wednesday disregards feelings and simply says it like it is:
Dust you are and to dust you shall return.
May the ashes remind you that you are here for now, but not forever.
May the ashes remind you that you are sinful and death is on the way.
Yet, as you stare reality in the face may you know this:
Hope doesn’t let the story end.
The cross marked on your forehead is a reminder of how you were saved.
This is not a day empty of mercy or grace, but a day that begs us to remember the One who promises us forgiveness of sins and reconciliation through Jesus.
Jesus’ cross and Jesus’ life turns our death into everlasting life.
Death is coming, but so is Jesus.
About the Author
Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.
He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.
You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.
His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.
Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.
You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.
