There are certain church seasons and traditions designed to confront us with the reality of our sinfulness and the truth that we cannot cleanse ourselves.
Last week, I attended an Ash Wednesday service, where the preacher talked about how our lives are lived between dust and dust; God formed us out of dust, and to dust we return. I was reminded of Psalm 51 and the hope we have that God cleanses us whiter than snow. Though we return to dust, in Christ, we are made clean.