Get On The Boat

Let’s talk about one of my least favorite words in the English language: Obey.

I have a serious aversion to the word obey. And to the act of obedience. Honestly, just typing it makes me grumpy. I can feel the furrow between my brows getting deeper. My mother would tell you that this intolerance for obedience began early in my life. I was rarely outright disobedient, I was more of an acrobat per say. Tiptoe the line. Skirt around the edges. Meet the criteria just enough to not be in trouble but not enough to feel like I was giving in.

Rules? Those are great for other people. They don’t really apply to me.

Laws? I prefer to call them suggestions.

Boundaries? Let’s just push those a bit.

Commands? Well, good luck to trying to command me to do anything.

Before my husband and I were married we went through pre-marital counseling with our pastor at the time. We read several books, did multiple worksheets, and finally had a very long survey to fill out. The pastor compiled the information from both of our surveys and had a meeting with us to go over the results which would “predict” what areas we would have issues in during our marriage. He was a very honest and blunt man and as he looked over our results he said, “The number one issue on Whitney’s side is that she’s non-compliant.” You can imagine how that went over. I’m sure it was no shock to him when I asked to use non-traditional wedding vows because I refused to promise to obey my spouse.

Obviously, I have an issue with authority. This mindset combined with a skewed view of God made it easy to walk away from the church so many years ago. You see, I viewed God as a distant authoritarian dictator. He had a long list of do’s and don’ts and I believed my portion was based on my performance. I had no concept of a real relationship with God. I didn’t understand grace and mercy. I didn’t realize that He just wants to be with us. He just wants to communicate with us and grow us into the people He knows we can be. Once I finally understood the reality of God, of what He wants from me and for me, it was easy to decide I wanted to be part of that.

So I jumped in. I was already involved in my church but I took on more responsibility. I started praying regularly and with other people, something I had not done before. I started reading and researching my Bible. I was fired up, I was ready to go. I said, “Father, whatever you want from me, I’m willing!” Do you know what I discovered? The word obey. Everywhere I looked, there it was. In sermons, in prayers, in verses. According to one site the word obey is in the NIV version of the Bible 223 times. I repeat, 223 times! The rebellious girl, the antiestablishment one, well she started getting antsy.

Luckily, I’ve been blessed with friends and spiritual mentors who could ease my concerns. Their advice? Ask Him what to do. Specifically. In detail. Lord, give me instructions. Teach me and train me in the art of obedience.

The first thing I was instructed to do was to look up the definition of obey. Merriam-Webster lists this as the definition:

               transitive verb  

1:  to follow the commands or guidance of

2:  to conform to or comply with <obey an order> <falling objects obey the laws of physics>

Now the words that stick out to me in this definition are commands, conform, and comply. I read it several times and could feel that creeping feeling in my chest. The feeling of confinement. Being trapped. Then my Heavenly Father said to me, “Erase the word commands. All I ask is that you follow my guidance.” That sure is a lot easier to swallow, isn’t it? What a difference a word makes.

Once that shift took place, the training began. First He asked me to paint a picture for a friend. I saw the picture in my head, I knew exactly what it was supposed to say and look like. But I’m not an artist. The last time I painted was in Art 101 in college. I have nothing but a set of kid’s watercolors and some printer paper. The excuses kept coming, and He said, “Trust Me.” I went to Michael’s and bought art supplies. I researched what I needed to do to make the painting I had seen in my head. Then I sat down and painted. When I got finished, well, it wasn’t a Monet, that’s for sure. But I obeyed and I gave the painting to my friend. It was a very touching thing, she was moved by the painting and I was moved by her blessing. I painted two more pictures at my Father’s request then I was done.

After that He said He wanted me to write. Woohoo! I was all in on that one. I’ve always loved to write and I thought, “Sure, no problem.” So I started this blog. It was very exciting until I got ready to click publish on the first post. Panic hit. I’m pouring out my heart, sharing the details of my journey with God, being vulnerable on the internet and everyone can see it. All the doubt started coming in – What if everyone reads it? What if no one reads it? What if I offended someone? What if I fail miserably? Then I heard it again, “Trust me.” I’ve been writing posts ever since, as the subject matter is provided to me and I’m nudged to do so.

There have been other things along the way. Smaller things, bigger things, seemingly insignificant things. He’s asked and I’ve obeyed. It’s all part of the process.

I’ve learned that my issues with authority boil down to trust. To let someone be in a position of authority over you, you must have complete trust in them. I’ve always believed two things: First, I’m the only one that’s going to look out for my best interest, everyone else has some sort of bias. Second, don’t trust anyone completely because they will let you down. Now I think who better to look out for me than the one that created me? Who else would have my best interests at heart?

This past Sunday my pastor gave an amazing sermon and he used the analogy of a sailboat. The Word is like the sails on the boat and the Spirit is like the wind. You have to have both to go anywhere. In the middle is obedience. You have to listen, respond, and obey.

As I was thinking about that message and what it meant to me, I had a vision of the most beautiful blue waters, gently lapping against a docking area. In this vision, every day I walk down to the docks and see this magnificent sailboat. For a long time I sat there and admired the boat, wishing I could experience the joy of being out on the water. One day the captain said, “Come child, get on the boat.” I always refuse, anxious and unsure. The captain keeps approaching me, “Come child, get on the boat.”

One day I agree, I get on the boat. I feel the waves below my feet. I hear the sails catch the wind. I sense the tug of the boat against the ropes. “Untie the ropes,” he says. “I’m not ready for that,” I say. The next day he motions to me again. “Come child, get on the boat.” He’s so patient with me, I appreciate that. I know he must be ready to sail.

Another day I’m feeling powerful, feeling confident. I see the captain. “Come child, get on the boat,” he says. I smile. “I’ll be there in a second, I just need to grab my GPS, a life jacket, some flares, food for a few days, and my cellphone,” I say. He laughs and shakes his head. “You won’t need those things,” he says, “the course is plotted and the wind is strong.” I trust him. I drop everything and get on the boat. We untie the ropes and sail out onto the open waters. It is the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever experienced. I would never have had this life changing ride if I had not obeyed the captain.

I’m not going to tell you it’s easy. I struggle all the time. I’m a constant work in progress. But if God is working on something in your life, wanting you to do something for Him, wanting you to get rid of something for Him, whatever the case may be, I urge you to be obedient. Listen to what He asking. Respond in the positive. Be obedient and watch your existence change. Watch the blessings flow. And be prepared to go on the ride of your life because the reward for your obedience is beyond anything you can fathom.

This Modesty Mess

It seems that in the Christian circles a topic becomes a trend, a hot-button issue, and suddenly it’s everywhere. Currently the Christian blogs are ablaze with posts about modesty. I’m not jumping on the bandwagon, far from it actually, but I want to address some issues I have with a post that’s circulating.

There’s a post currently making the rounds that is an open letter to teenage girls written by a Christian mom of three sons. In this post, she tells of how she monitors her teenage sons’ Facebook accounts and goes through the pictures in their timelines. If she sees a female friend post pictures of themselves that she thinks are “too sexy” then she unfriends these girls. She doesn’t want her sons exposed to the pictures and their purity to be in jeopardy. She doesn’t want them to struggle with temptation. And there are no second chances with this family so if you want to be part of it then make sure your pictures and posts are appropriate.

I have friends that shared this particular post on Facebook and Twitter and wherever else they share stuff. I get it. I know they connected with the part of this mother who is trying to protect her children and to raise them right. But when I read her post here’s what I heard - condemnation, disapproval, self-righteousness, lack of trust, and another helping of condemnation. Is that what the writer was trying to convey? I hope not.

First, let’s talk about Sally. That’s the name I’m assigning to one of the girls that has posted a photo with a pose deemed “provocative” and has subsequently been unfriended. Sally is a teenage girl dealing with all the teenage girl issues. Feelings of inadequacy, not belonging, being invisible, not being accepted, not measuring up, etc. Sally is probably lacking in parental guidance/involvement as a majority of teenagers are today. She’s trying to find her way and the role models that world is giving her are Teen Mom and the Kardashians. You understand her confusion.

Now let’s say that Sally has a friendship with Johnny, one of the sons in the above mentioned post. Maybe Sally even has a bit of a crush on Johnny. She sees he’s gone from her Facebook. She freaks because she’s a teenage girl. Sally sees Johnny at school and says, “Hey, did you dump me from your Facebook”? Johnny says, “Nah, my mom did, she thought your picture was too sexy. Sorry, we can’t be friends anymore”.

What Sally just heard is this: My mom thinks you’re trash. My family thinks you’re not good enough to associate with me. You’re not worth my time. Your value really is based on your outward appearance. Sorry, you made a mistake and it can’t be fixed.

That sure doesn’t sound like grace and mercy and love to me. And I guarantee it didn’t to Sally either.

What kind of impact in Sally’s life could this family make if they chose a different approach? What if mom sees that Sally is crying out for attention and has Johnny invite her to dinner? What if mom gets to know Sally and figures out what is lacking in her life? What if that family could offer her the love and acceptance she’s craving? What if they missed the opportunity to introduce her to the One that could offer her everything?

I have a son. He’s only 5 so we haven’t had to deal with situations like this. But I’m glad I read about it. I’ve learned how I would want him to respond, how I would want our family to respond, and the ideals that I need to be instilling in his life now.

-          He needs to know I trust him. That I believe in his ability to choose the people he associates with. That I think he’s smart enough and wise enough to pick his friends. I may not always see what he sees, but I know his heart and his good intentions.

-          He needs to know that every woman should be treated with dignity and respect, even if she’s not treating herself with any. He has the power to change her view of herself simply by treating her with worth. I expect him to step up and be a gentleman.

-          He needs to understand that he is solely responsible for his actions. He is in control of his mind and his body. He has ownership of his purity. No one can be blamed for any choices he makes. There will be temptations. But if he learns to look on these women as his sisters in the Kingdom then he’ll be more apt to respond wisely.

-          He needs to know he has the mind of Christ and therefore should act accordingly. It’s not an easy path. He won’t always get it right, none of us do. But I’d rather he try to be Christ-like and have a few failures than to be wildly successful at being a Pharisee.

-          He needs to realize that Jesus is the example of how we should behave. If he’s ever in doubt of how to respond to a person, then respond in love.  

-          He needs to grasp the power of his words. In situations like the one above his response carries a great weight.

-          He needs to know that this family does operate in grace and mercy and love. With ourselves, with each other, with everyone. We don’t expect perfection from anyone. God doesn’t expect it from us, how can we hold people to higher standard than He does?

Finally, I’d like to point out that the majority of these Christian blogs regarding modesty are only addressing one portion of it. We’re stuck on the physical appearance. Again, I understand, we’re a visual people. I guess that’s why there are posts about how to make your own swimsuit that covers to the elbow and knee. I guess that’s why there are posts about ladies wearing sleeves in summer because we wouldn’t want to show a shoulder. Really?

True modesty is defined not only as outward appearance but as your spirit and your speech. Uh oh, there’s the monkey wrench. I’ve known plenty of girls who may have been less than modest in their dress but their spirit was right. Their speech was honorable. And I’ve known girls that looked the part but their spirit and speech we’re definitely not honorable. Heck, I’ve been both of those girls at some time. My point is this, maybe instead of worrying about what some girl is wearing in front of our sons, we should be more worried about what she’s speaking into his life. What’s in her heart? And that requires getting to know a person on the inside, not just judging them based on the outside.

Why are we protecting our kids instead of empowering them? You don’t want to deny your child the opportunity to be the change. You don’t want to deny them the chance to make a difference in someone’s life. You don’t want to stop them from bringing someone to Christ, do you?

 

Romans 12:16 (AMP) - Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.

Galatians 5:14 (NLT) - For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

1 Peter 3:8 (AMP) - Finally, all [of you] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [with one another], loving [each other] as brethren [of one household], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble).

A Letter to My 12-year-old Self

Dear Whitney -

Hey girl, it’s your future self. I’ve written down a few bits of wisdom I wish I could pass on to you, although I know full well that you’d read it, snort, crumple up the paper and pitch it in the nearest trashcan. It’s okay. Here’s one thing you should know, this is just a list of things I long to emphasize to you as important. It’s not a list of complaints or dreams for a do-over. I have no regrets. I can just look back 25 years and see the things I wish you understood now. But you’re awesome, you’re loved, and you’re going to make a difference in this world. Just know that.

1.       There’s a fine line between confidence and cockiness. You’ve recently transitioned from having zero confidence to having a lot. Find the middle ground.

2.       Stop using absolutes. All the “I would never…” and “I always…” will be proven wrong. And the “Well, I would do this…” or the “I would have done this…” are bogus. You have no idea how you would react in any given situation until you are in it. Just because you don’t understand someone else’s actions doesn’t mean they are incorrect. And I can guarantee you that you will be eating those words someday. They don’t taste like chocolate, sweetheart.

3.       It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to not be perfect. You never will be, not by Earthly standards. Use these as lessons. Make your mistakes and have your failures, learn from them, and don’t repeat them. God thinks you’re perfect and that’s all that matters.

4.       Quit worrying about what other people think. It doesn’t matter. Really, it doesn’t. You give others too much power in your life when you’re concerned about their take on you. And “that person” you don’t want to be? Guess what, she’s writing you this letter.

5.       Don’t hold grudges. You don’t need to have vengeance for every perceived wrong. Learn to let things go. Start asking yourself, is this going to matter in a year? In a month? In a week? Most of the time the answer is no. Learn to embrace the peace that comes from releasing that hurt and moving on. Dwelling on these things only causes chaos and I promise you, you don’t need more chaos.

6.       You have a strong personality. You’re a leader. You have influence. God gave you this gift and He expects you to use it for good. Be a positive influence. Don’t drag others down, use your gift to lift them up. Help others to find and develop their own gifts. Foster the positive inside them.

7.       You like for things to go your way. Who doesn’t? Because of this innate ability to influence people you’re going to operate in manipulation. You’re good at it. And you’re going to get to expert level. It’s easy and it makes you feel powerful. Don’t succumb to that. One day you’ll realize it’s much more fulfilling to use kindness and sincerity. It will warm your heart when people choose to do something, out of love and respect, than when they do something because you’ve tricked them. Manipulation doesn’t make you smarter than the other person, just sneakier.

8.       Putting people down should not make you feel better about yourself. Gossiping about people, knowing their dirty little secrets should not make you feel superior. When these things happen you’re letting your own insecurities get the best of you. You’re above that. It’s hard to step out of that, I know, but try. You’ve got nothing to gain by these actions.

9.       One of your favorite sayings is “Only God can judge me”. That is true. But it applies to everyone on Earth. So don’t judge others. You don’t know what they’ve been through or are going through. In 6 years, 13 years, and 25 years you’ll understand.

10.   Let’s talk about boys for a moment. You’re boy crazy. You’re going to fall in love and you’re going to get your heartbroken. It happens to everyone at some point. How you respond to that heartbreak makes all the difference. Don’t put up walls. Don’t refuse to trust anymore. Don’t be afraid to get close to anyone. There’s no contest to see how many people you can hurt before they hurt you. And most importantly, hearts are not for collecting.

11.   Invest in people. Your relationships will have a tendency to be surface only. Go beyond that. Dig in, give it your all, and invest. It’s like a relationship lottery, there’s no guaranteed return but when it happens you’ll be rich.

12.   Stay away from the Ouija board. It’s not just a game. Walk away from the tarot cards, the palm readings, the past life regression, and all the other things you’ll want to use to seek the answer to your future. They open a pipeline you want no part of. If you want to know your future ask God to show you. He will. And it’s amazing.

13.   You’re going to start feeling a pull away from the church. You’re going to start thinking you can’t live up to the expectations of the people around you. That’s a lie. It’s not about more – more faith, more works, more service, and more devotion. God has your heart and that’s what he wants. He’ll let you know his expectations.

14.   Perfection is something you’ll struggle with. I’ve mentioned it once in regards to holding yourself to a higher standard. You also hold other people to a higher standard. One that is humanly impossible to meet. Those people that you call hypocrites, well, they’re just people. They’re trying to do their best and sometimes they’ll fail, just like you. One day you’ll learn of the vastness of God’s grace and realize you should try extending some grace as well. Once you fully comprehend what He’s done for you it will be easy to the same for others.

15.   Believe in angels. They are real. They’re surrounding you and protecting you right now. You’ve met some already you just don’t know it. You’ll meet more in the future. And they’re pretty stinkin cool.

16.   I know you like being the “rebel”. You enjoy standing out from the crowd, creating your own path, being different from everyone else, bucking the status quo. You love to be anti-establishment. Sister, that’s not going to change. You’re going to have a hard time reconciling that part of yourself with being a Christian. Here’s the thing – God created you that way! I’m going to write a spoiler here, in the future He’s going to tell you this: “There’s a place and purpose for people like you in my Kingdom. I made you this way for a reason. I have plans for you and it will take your unique perspective to fulfill them. You just have to work with me and not against me, then we will accomplish great things.”

17.   You are going to have hurts in your life. Painful things will happen that leave scars. There’s a big one coming your way sooner than I like. This is a pivotal moment in your life. DO NOT turn away from God. Turn TO him. You won’t understand why certain things happen, you don’t need to. You have to accept that. Here’s the important facts – God does not cause bad things to happen to us, He has our best interests at heart, and He wants you to turn to Him in all things but especially in your time of need.

18.   You do not have ESP. You are not a medium. You don’t have a sixth sense. You’re not naturally good at “reading people”. What you do have are gifts from God called discernment and prophecy. You’re not ready for all that yet but one day it’s going to rock your world.

19.   Just like I asked you to be a good influence on others, I ask you to have good influences in your life. Surround yourself with people who constantly encourage you, lift you up, and help you to become the person God wants you to be. You’ll have some of these people come into your life and you’ll push them away because they’re “churchy” and you aren’t. Fight against that. You don’t know what you could be missing.

20.   Honey, here’s the biggie. Someday you’re going to get married and have a child. I swear I can hear you laughing all the way from the future. Anyway, I know you’re saved and I know you love God but it won’t be until you have a child of your own that you truly understand God as your Father. When you hold that precious child in your arms and your heart swells with so much love that all you can do is weep…well that’s when it all clicks. That’s when you realize that God loves you like you love this child. That nothing you do could ever turn Him away from you. That His arms are always open, waiting for you to come home, ready for you to say Dad here I am. Once you finally get it, I mean really get it, your life is going to change!

I checked out your Bible the other day and you’ve done a good job choosing what to highlight. I’m going to leave you with a list of verses I want you to really take to heart. I want you to always remember Jesus thinks you were worth dying for. You. Were. Worth. It.

                                                                                                                       Love – Me

P.S. You’re not fat so shut up about it.

 

Luke 6:37-38 (MSG) Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.

Psalms 91:4 (MSG) His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.

Proverbs 14:29 (MSG) Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (MSG) But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Luke 17:6 (MSG) But the Master said, “You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (MSG) Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

1 Chronicles 16:11 (NLT) Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.

Molded Into Majesty

Picture these things with me:

A fashion designer with a bolt of luxurious fabric

A painter with a crisp white unused canvas

A writer with a ream of blank paper

A photographer at the Grand Canyon with a new roll of film

A musician with a finely tuned guitar

A carpenter with an untouched slab of oak

 

What is the common theme above? We’ve imagined the artist and their medium.  Now look closer at the artist. What do you see on their face? Inspiration. Excitement. Pure joy. Desire to create. Recognition of potential. Vision of the finished product.

Isaiah 64:8 (NASB) – But now, O Lord, You are our Father,
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the work of Your hand.

GOD is the artist and PEOPLE are His medium.

Do you realize that about yourself? Do you know that when our Father looks upon you he doesn’t see a block of clay, he sees the finished piece of pottery? He looks at you and feels inspired. He feels excited. He feels joyful. He sees the potential within you, because He put it there. He sees the finished product. He sees his masterpiece waiting to be brought to life.

There are phrases that we Christians love to use like “God’s molding me” and “He’s shaping me the way the wants”. I was speaking with a friend the other day, a friend who has a beautiful perspective on everything, and she said this, “I imagine if clay could feel, the molding process would be uncomfortable at times and like a nice massage at other times”.

That, of course, got me thinking. Have you ever seen a potter working with clay? My friend’s assessment is correct. There are times the potter is pinching, pulling, rolling, squeezing, and pushing on the clay to get it into the shape he desires. There are other times the clay is gently rubbed, caressed, and massaged to perfect its appearance. But the potter is skilled. His hands can be gentle or firm. He knows exactly what the clay needs to reach its full potential. To become the beautiful vessel he has envisioned.

When God is working on us, when He’s perfecting us, when He’s shaping us it can be difficult to take. It can be like those tough times of pulling and stretching. But it can also be a relaxing massage. It can be restorative and restful. We just have to trust His process. He is the artist, we are the medium. He sees in us the work that needs to be done to create a breathtaking work of art.

When we recite verses like Isaiah 64:8 and sing songs with lyrics like “mold me, use me” do we really mean it? Are we committed to being used by our Father however He sees fit or only until we’re uncomfortable?

IF you don’t allow The artist to work with His medium then you are stealing His joy.

You are squashing your potential.

You are robbing the world of inspiration.

Looking upon a godly work of art could spark a change in another person’s soul. God wants to use you. He wants to mold you. He wants to shape you into the person that displays His love. He wants you to be the creation that turns hearts toward Him.

Would you give Ernest Hemingway a typewriter but no paper?

Would you give Ansel Adams a camera with no film?

Would you give B.B King a guitar with no strings?

Would you give Van Gogh paints with no canvas?

Don’t be afraid to be the clay. The Father knows what He’s doing. HE is the artist and WE are His medium. Let Him create a masterpiece. Let Him mold you into majesty.

 

Heavenly Tattoos

Last week I had a dream about a dear friend of mine. In this dream she was full-on rockabilly style with dark hair, red lips, and tattoos. She had a chest piece and half sleeves on both arms. She was going around to different churches and asking if she could speak to their congregations. When she met with the churches initially her tattoos were covered, but when she arrived to speak she wore clothes that showed all of her body art. One church she arrived at told her that she needed to cover up because the tattoos were distracting. She told the person, “I can put on a sweater but it won’t change God’s words that will flow out of my mouth”. My friend was glowing with beauty, inner and outer, and she was so joyous and free it took my breath away. 

When I woke up I had two thoughts – The first was that I needed to talk her into embracing a rockabilly look because it really worked for her and the second was that there was a message here besides the obvious. There had to be significance in the tattoos themselves. 

Her chest piece was a heart, right in the center, and had almost echoes of the heart radiating out. It was very colorful, starting with the red heart and changing through the colors of the rainbow. In the dream she was turned so one side was more visible than the other. The chest/collarbone area I could see clearly had a treasure chest overflowing with gold coins. Then the arm had a huge ship, almost like a pirate ship, rolling through the blue ocean waves. Instead of Jolly Roger flags this ship was flying the flag known as the St George’s Cross, white with a red cross. The opposite chest/collarbone area had a large bird, I think a sparrow and her arm had a very detailed tree although I couldn’t see all the details.

I realized the tattoos represent facets of my friend. She is a true champion of the love of God changing the world. It’s at the center of her beliefs. She teaches how to hear from God and calls those encounters “gold”. She is a crusader for the Father, with a calling to educate Christians who have been held back by bad doctrine. These tattoos were not just images that represent my friend as you and I might see her, no, these tattoos were representations of how God sees her. They were visual images of what He’s called her to be and who she is in Christ.

So that very long intro brings us to the first point – as a Christian, do YOU know how God sees you? 

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (MSG) “Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!”

Our Father sees us as his perfect children. He sees our past, our present and our future. He knows our heart. He knows our every thought. And He loves us more than we can even comprehend. He doesn’t look at us and see sin, Jesus took care of that for us, He looks at us with the pride of a parent. He sees our potential. He sees what we’re meant to be. He sees the Jesus in us. 

Next question – What if God were your tattoo artist? What would His custom design for you be? (Bet you’ve never heard that question before!)

I’m willing to venture if you and I sat down and drew up tattoos that we think represent us the best they wouldn’t be close to what God has in mind for us. We might get the idea right but the details wouldn’t be large enough, magnificent enough. His view of who we are is far grander than how we view ourselves.

For example, I might create a chest piece that is a garden of beautiful flowers. But my Father would draw a lush garden of exotic flowers, with one breathtaking flower in the middle, surrounded by blue ribbons. He sees me as a prizewinner, as a showstopper, as the flower in the garden that makes people stop and stare. I might create a shoulder piece with a life preserver. But my Father would draw a mountain range with a person atop the tallest peak, proudly placing a flag in the rock. He sees me not as a survivor, but as an overcomer. 

Finally – If your identity were tattooed on you, where every single person in this world could see, would you wear it proudly? Or would you always grab a sweater? Are you willing to show the world the person that God sees? Will you embrace that identity and live out the life your Father has planned for you?

Matthew 5:14-15 (MSG) “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”

Let your light shine. Be the city on a hill. Leave the sweater at home, you don’t need it.