The Day I Got Inked….again.

“What’s that on your arm?!?!”

Yep, that is the question I now get all of the time. And frankly it’s one I am happy to answer. “It’s a tattoo and let me tell you what it means.” But before I get ahead of myself, why don’t I share with you how all of this craziness went down.

Two weeks ago a friend and I agreed to have a fun girls’ night out. We had just finished with our children’s “Meet the Teacher” night and in an effort to forget about the fact our babies were growing up we needed to have some fun. And of course fun always comes with a little pain, right?! Well I guess it does in my world, ha! That’s why we landed ourselves at a local tattoo parlor for some artistic expression. Nothing classes up an establishment like this more than driving this car there. Why not, that Lincoln beckoned for me to take it for a spin!

And then it happened…

We were a little crazy and so nervous, but had a blast. I’m pretty sure the tattoo guy had never seen mini van mothers quite like that. I guess we aim to shock, ha!

So that brings me back to the question, “What’s on your arm?”

 (yeah that’s me trying to be all “magazine cover” for the photo…not really working. Unless it’s “Mini Van Moms Gone Wrong”)

The answer to everyone’s question is quite simple. It’s the Gospel story. Laid out in an easy fashion with symbols. What a great reminder for me to share the Good news of God’s great love and sacrifice daily. It’s a fun conversation starter and I pray I have many an opportunity to spell out the story on my arm! (I did to the tattoo guy!) A few months ago I found the symbols on this website and knew I HAD to have them on my arm!

He Came:

Our holy God cannot ignore our sins, so He sacrificed His Son’s life on the cross so that we can have

forgiveness.

He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is

right. By His wounds you are healed.

I Peter 2:24 (NLT)

God wants to have a relationship with us, but our sin creates a barrier between us and Him. Since God is

perfectly just, there is a price that must be paid for that sin if we are to have a relationship with Him. In

God’s infinite love He has offered His perfect Son as a sacrifice for our sin, if we simply put our faith and

trust in Him. It is a free gift from God, if we only accept it.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the

dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 (NLT)

 

He Arose:

Jesus was raised from the dead, proving that God accepted His sacrifice for our sins.

…the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t

here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.

Mark 16:6 (NLT)

The resurrection demonstrated that God accepted Jesus’ death to be our atonement for sin. He did not

deserve death, but sacrificially gave His life that we can be right with God.

…and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy

Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 1:4 (NLT)

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Romans 4:25 (NLT)

 

He Ascended:

After His resurrection, Jesus returned to heaven to prepare a place for us, to intercede on our behalf

with His Father and to send the Holy Spirit to us.

When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the

place of honor at God’s right hand.

Mark 16:19 (NLT)

Today Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us to reside with Him. He is completely aware of what is

going on in each of our lives and intercedes for us with God the Father. He has also sent the Holy Spirit

to reside in every Believers heart to help build Christ-like character, deepen our faith, and equip us for

service.

…and when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 1:13 (NLT)

…for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s

right hand, pleading for us.

Romans 8:34 (NLT)

 

He’s Coming Back:

Jesus will return to earth to defeat Satan, end evil, gather His followers and establish the kingdom of

God.

But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious

throne.

Matthew 25:31 (NLT)

Jesus will return from heaven in an event referred to as the Second Coming. The believers will be rewarded and the unbelievers will be condemned. He will finally defeat Satan and eliminate evil.

There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

John 3:18 (NLT)

And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world – from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

Matthew 24:30-31 (NLT)

 

Have you heard that story before. It’s one of the most beautiful, heart wrenching, TRUE stories ever told. But unfortunately, you can’t just know of the story.

In light of what Jesus has done for you, when you understand the depth of his sacrifice, it demands a response. Will you accept or reject his offer of salvation?

Accepting means turning from your sins and believing that Christ’s life, death, and resurrection can save you from your sin. This gift is offered to you by grace. You can’t work for it; it’s a free gift from a gracious God.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2: 8-9 

What will you do with this gift?

Tattoos are fun, crazy, and a bit scandalous. But I wanted my ink to matter. And what matters to me most is where you might spend eternity.