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.

Country Club Christianity

Last Wednesday night my husband and the Haiti missions team were meeting at the church. A man came in, looking for help. He was sweaty from walking, thin and ill looking, and obviously in need. He told them his story. A story about how he was travelling from New York to Tulsa to go to the Cancer Center of America. How he became sick on this journey and the bus dropped him at a local hospital. He had nothing but ID and his hospital wristbands. He offered to do any kind of work to earn some money, just enough to get a hotel for the night and some food, until the driver from Angel Flight could pick him up the next day. The team talked with him, anointed him with oil and prayed over him, pitched in what they could to get a hotel room and loved him like a family member. My husband drove him to get a meal and lodging and wished him the best. 

Did I tell you this to brag on these people? No. I’d like to, they’re all amazing individuals with a true heart for God. But the part of the story I’m going to focus on is what happened on the drive. The man had walked from the local hospital to our church, approximately a 5 mile trip, after being released from the hospital. Along this route he stopped at several businesses and churches, looking for help, and offering to do work to earn some money. No one helped. He told my husband that one church had guards at the doors and advised he couldn’t come in because he wasn’t a member. 

Let me repeat that in case you didn’t catch it. A man, obviously physically ill and still wearing hospital bracelets, stopped at a church to ask for help. He was told he couldn’t come inside because he’s not a member. 

Here are my questions: When did the church become exclusive instead of inclusive? Is this really what we’ve become as Christians? Is that what we’re called to be?

When did the church become a country club? 

Unfortunately, there are plenty of them out there. There are churches that operate just like a country club. Pay your fee (tithes), get your social time and dinner with people just like you! We’re not going to ask you to do anything that would get you out of your comfort zone, no way. Just come and relax and enjoy the service.

That comparison brings to mind some of the mega-churches that have health gyms and mortgage offices and anything you might need. There’s nothing wrong mega-churches or offering those things for churchgoers, but where is the church’s focus? And it’s not just large churches. There are churches of all sizes that practice exclusivity, small churches can have the same type of attitude and persona just without the amenities. A building full of people who are there only to receive something, instead of also giving something, is not a church at all.

The trend of exclusive churches and comfortable Christianity has to come to an end. If it doesn’t, we will become extinct. Yes, I’m going there. If we don’t come into the roles and identities that the Father has for us then we will be a dying breed. Being comfortable will get you nowhere.

So what are we called to be? 1 Peter 2:9-10 says “But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.” From rejected to accepted. Does your church make people feel accepted? No, I’m not asking if they get greeted at the entrance. Are they truly accepted for who they are? Do they feel valued and important? Do they feel like they’re part of a family? That’s what we should be striving to communicate to anyone who walks through the doors of the church.

Colossians 3:14 says “And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” Are you showing love to the people you come in contact with? If a needy man came into your foyer would he be shown love? Would he even be let in?

Back to the tale of the man in need. As I’ve mentioned before I’m a logical thinker. I’m a planner, a preparer. So I ask a lot of “what ifs”. Let’s try a “what if” with this story…

What if the needy man was the missing piece in your church? What if after showing him loving kindness and giving him assistance he began to attend your church? What if his gifting’s were exactly what you had been looking for? Ephesians 2:21-22 “God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.” What if that man was an important brick?

What if the needy man were you? What would you do in that situation? I was taught as a child, if you need help in a situation like this, find a church. Can you imagine being down and out and having a church turn you away?

What if that needy man were your father or your brother? Wouldn’t you be desperate for someone to help him? Wouldn’t you be upset if a church, of all places, refused to do so?

What if that man were Jesus? Numerous times in the Bible He approached people from a point of need, from a place of lowliness. He and his followers were considered riff-raff among many circles. How would you feel if your church had told Jesus He couldn’t come in because He’s not a member?

I’ll leave you with this final passage from Matthew 25:34-40, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me, 

I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,

I was homeless and you gave me a room,

I was shivering and you gave me clothes,

I was sick and you stopped to visit,

I was in prison and you came to me.’ 

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.”

Redefining Strength

I’ve always considered myself to be a strong person. Strong physically, strong mentally, and strong emotionally. Probably too strong at times. To me, being strong meant taking care of myself, not letting emotions get in the way of logic, keeping it together in times of crisis, and being a steady rock. 

My mother-in-law gave me a beautiful cross with the scripture from 2 Corinthians 12:9 printed on it. I love it and I have it hanging in the living room where I can see it all the time. It says “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”. The other day I was looking at that cross and reading those words and I thought, What does that even mean? Why is everything a riddle?

First, I went and got my Bible which is the paraphrase called The Message. I love it because it’s so simple. 2 Corinthians 12:9 MSG - My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Well that’s a little clearer but what I am supposed to get out of this? I knew God was really trying to tell me something. I had been staring at that cross and those words for days. So I asked. What is my lesson here?

He told me that my definition of strength is all wrong. I’m thinking in the natural. I’m living in the natural, and operating in the natural, when as a child of God I should be living supernaturally. The true definition of strength is the willingness to be weak (physically, emotionally and mentally) and trust that God’s strength is enough. 

“Look around you,” He said, “look at the people I’ve brought into your life. Remove your blinders and your judgments and look at them the way I look at them. See the things you would once have called a weakness and recognize the true strength in those people.”

So I looked around. I looked at the people in my life. And I saw unbelievable strength, given to them through the Father. 

I saw the single mother. How hard she works to provide for her child. How she probably struggles with loneliness and longs for a partner in life. How it would be easy to feel sorry for herself. But she lives a virtuous life. She is an amazing Christian example for her daughter. She’s constantly seeking God in everything and will not compromise in any area. She has put her faith in Him to provide for the needs of her family. 

I saw the single father. How he processes the pain of divorce behind closed doors so it won’t affect his child. How he wishes that the right person would come along and he could have a traditional family again. How he could wallow in his situation, raising a child on his own. But instead he gives it over to God. He seeks, and prays, and learns. And he believes that the Father will provide for his family as well.

I saw the married couple that has beaten the odds. How they faced a relationship torn by infidelity and other issues. How they could have easily walked away. How they had people encouraging them to do that very thing. But they didn’t give up. They both, individually and as a couple, asked God to fix the relationship. They both allowed God to work in them alone and the marriage blossomed. They have an amazing connection now that they may not have ever had before.

I saw another married couple who have risen above their struggles. How their marriage was deteriorating because of pornography and hypocrisy. How again it would have been easy to walk away. But they didn’t. They sought out God to work on them and their relationship. They both have a communion with the Lord that is awe inspiring. They’ve allowed themselves to be messengers for God by being open and transparent about their problems. 

I saw the woman who had worked in the sex trade. How she could have been a victim her whole life. How she could have used her circumstances to stay in that lifestyle. Instead she rose above. She got out. She converses with the Father on a level I’ve never seen before. She has taught me about hearing God and obedience.  She put herself in His hands and he’s blessed her beyond measure.

I saw the former addict that’s been clean and sober for two years. How hard it has to be to stay away from the people that were part of her old life. How she works hard and is trying to get an education but there are roadblocks all along the way. How it would be easy to fall back into old habits. But she’s learning to give it to God. That He will provide a way. He will remove the obstructions and give a clear path to His will for her.

I saw the woman that lost her mother, her father, and her mother-in-law all within months of each other. How it would be understandable to throw in the towel. How she could have lived in self-pity. How she could have cursed God and said I’m done. Instead she turned to the Father. She didn’t allow the root of bitterness or depression to take hold in her life. She handed it over to Him and believed His will was done. She knows that she may never understand the situation in a natural sense, but she believes that He is looking out for her.

I saw the husband with the sick wife. How it would be easy to get frustrated and ask Why me? How it has to be difficult to not be able to “fix” the situation. How it’s got to be hard to not get irritated with her inability to do things and to get tired of picking up the slack. But he doesn’t. He prays and praises and thanks the Father for all his blessings. He soldiers on, day after day, to provide for his family. He gives everything over to God and has unshakable faith that the needs will be met. 

I don’t have enough space or time to list every single person that went through my head. I can tell you it literally took days. God showed me over and over and over again how people in my life had trusted Him with their problems, had laid their weakness at His feet, and He had strengthened them into modern day Samson’s. Then He asked me to do the same. 

I won’t pretend it’s easy for me. I’m a control freak that likes to be strong in her own right. This is a struggle for me in my faith. But the closer my relationship gets to the Father the easier it’s becoming. Thankfully He’s patient with His children. And thankfully He’s surrounded me with amazing examples of how lives can be changed by giving Him complete control and total trust.