Now What Do We Do

Ash Wednesday: “Now What Do We Do?”

By Doug Wigginton

February 25, 2026

Ash Wednesday signifies the commencement of Lent, initiating a 40-day period of repentance, fasting, and prayer. This journey is undertaken with the aspiration to forsake sin and embrace the Gospel. Lent compels us to undergo an “inner conversion,” echoing Jesus’s words to the woman ensnared in adultery, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:1-11). Simultaneously, we are reminded of our inherent sinfulness and the necessity of redemption, while also finding solace in the belief that we worship a God of forgiveness, grace, and second chances.

A comprehensive examination of our hearts serves as an appropriate starting point for this endeavor. Consequently, we may commence with prayer, seeking divine revelation of our transgressions—all actions, words, and thoughts that impede our communion with Jesus. The challenging aspect, yet to unfold, lies in discerning God’s response to our prayer. An age-old adage resonates: “Be cautious of your prayers, for you may indeed receive them.” Alternatively, the journey I propose is not for the easily discouraged. For you will uncover more about yourself than anticipated. God will guide you to places that may be uncomfortable or unfamiliar.

It is understandable that this may evoke a sense of gloom and foreboding. However, you are not alone in this sentiment. I recall a pastor acquaintance who confessed to his congregation that the season of Lent is excessively somber for him. “Where is the joy in this season? Where is the good news?” he inquired. His struggle mirrors our own. Regrettably, the season of Lent transcends the idealized image of Jesus they have constructed. It also does not involve self-congratulation akin to Stuart Smalley’s infamous line from SNL, “I am good enough and smart enough and doggone it, people like me.”

The scriptures have rightly taught us to follow the Light. However, what if the Light requires us to take “the road less traveled”? This is the road that leads us into our own personal wilderness. “Why would we go there?” you may ask. The road less traveled provides us with an opportunity for God to reveal our true selves, not the person we have deceived ourselves into believing we are.

It is all to easy to conclude that Lent is merely a self-improvement program with the sole objective of achieving moral superiority. This is not the case. Lent is about undergoing “metanoia,” a profound and fundamental shift in one’s mindset or perspective, sometimes described as a transformative change of one’s heart and mind. In Christian theology, this is what we call conversion.

So, while in our personal wilderness, we receive new lenses and a new perspective. With our repentance, we are able to see ourselves as we truly are, sinful and in need of redemption. With our inner conversion, a new perspective emerges; we return to the same world and set of circumstances, but we are fundamentally transformed. Morality becomes a fruit, and our sight has been restored.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I’m found

Was blind, but now I see