Ash Wednesday and Lent

I used to hate getting ashes on my forehead as a kid in a Catholic school. I somehow always ended up with the most deformed and messed up smear of soot on my forehead, at least I thought I did. Now it has become something to which I look forward. Lent is a time of turning back to the Lord. The ashes symbolize the beginning of that journey. No longer am I concerned about my ashes looking strange nor do I rush to the bathroom after the service to fix my hair to cover the ashes. Part of this may be because the only time I have to get my ashes is in the evening so very few people actually see them. But the bigger reason, I think, is that when I finally came out of the closet and accepted my sexuality as a gift from God, I stopped caring so much about other people's judgements. Why I thought that the other kids in my school, who also had ashes, would judge my ashes, I do not know. But the judgement about my sexuality was something very real for me. It prevented me from having a relationship with Christ. Coming out of the closet is so much like Ash Wednesday in my mind. It marked the beginning of my turning back to the Lord, a journey often filled with bumps and turmoil, but a journey still filled with joy.
For many Christians, Lent is a 40 day endurance test of who can make it all the way to Easter Sunday without something so wonderful, like chocolate or a favorite tv show. In many ways, this is the wrong approach to Lent. Lent is a time in which we give up that which hinders a true and authentic relationship with God. This Lent, I challenge the LGBTQ community and its allies to give up any shame associated with our sexual orientations or gender identities. Use this opportunity to reflect deeper on what is means to live out the persons God made us to be.