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.
