To have a real relationship with God (or anyone, for that matter) we must be honest. Sadly, saying “Honest to God,” is often a sign we’re lying. Being honest to God begins with being honest with ourselves. On Ash Wednesday the mark of the cross in ashes on our brow tells us the truth: we are finite, and death is inescapable; we are of the dust, formed form the very fabric of the earth itself; we are marked with the cross of Christ, which brings hope in the midst of hard truth.