On November 1st, Nate and I went and got inked together. Here's the story... :)
In May of this year, some friends and I wanted to be praying diligently for our friend, Cara, who was facing a hard situation. We ordered small beaded bracelets to wear to remind us to pray throughout our days. Wearing that bracelet really served it's purpose for me. I prayed for Cara, but I was also reminded over and over throughout my day to seek the Lord moment by moment. And after a couple of weeks of wearing my bracelet, it broke. I craved the constant reminder to seek the Lord moment by moment, and decided it might be fun to have a tattoo on my wrist. I wasn't sure what I wanted the tattoo to be - just a reminder thta I belong to the Lord and that I need His help to make moment by moment decisions. When I'm left to make my own decisions, it isn't pretty. I decided at that point that I would wait for one year to decide for sure if I wanted to make such a permanent change to my body.
The Fall brought some real struggles for our family. I experienced a trial that brought me closer to the Lord than I had ever been before. I really was relying on Him for my moment-by-moment provision. I count it joy that the Lord allowed me to face such a difficult time, but just as with all trials, my reliance on the Lord started to fade as the struggle subsided. And that's when I knew I wanted a tattoo. I don't want to forget.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
God knew that we would need to be constantly reminded of Him. We are forgetful people!! Over Christmas, Tom (Nate's dad) led a devotion from Eph 1. Verse 13b says, "When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." We talked about how it's kind of like when cows get branded with a Farmer's brand. That cow belongs to that farmer. I have been branded for Christ.
Nate and I decided to go together to get matching tattoos to not only to show that we are sealed with Christ (the tattoo is "Jesus" in Hebrew characters), but also to show our committment to one another.
So far, no regrets.
