When I was in Thailand, I saw a lot of skin. (Those crazy Europeans and their string bikinis and low-slung speedos and geriatric topless beach-walking!)
In seeing a lot of skin, I saw a lot of tattoos. Skin became the canvas for pretty ladies, cutesy cartoons, demons roaring from biceps, and Chinese characters popping up on ankles and jawlines. Most of the tattoos struck me as cute, cryptic, discouraging, or just inane.
But when I was standing in a line somewhere, I was struck by a single word that a girl had inked in black script on the back of her neck: Beloved.
If I was going to permanently display any message on my skin, I think it would be that word: Beloved. I want to be cherished. I want to be chosen. I want to be loved deeply and permanently in spite of my selfishness. I was thinking about this the other day, and God brought this verse to mind:
Everyone needs to know they're beloved, not just me. We can never be reminded too often that each day we are chosen and dearly loved by the One who knows us better than anyone else.
In seeing a lot of skin, I saw a lot of tattoos. Skin became the canvas for pretty ladies, cutesy cartoons, demons roaring from biceps, and Chinese characters popping up on ankles and jawlines. Most of the tattoos struck me as cute, cryptic, discouraging, or just inane.
But when I was standing in a line somewhere, I was struck by a single word that a girl had inked in black script on the back of her neck: Beloved.
If I was going to permanently display any message on my skin, I think it would be that word: Beloved. I want to be cherished. I want to be chosen. I want to be loved deeply and permanently in spite of my selfishness. I was thinking about this the other day, and God brought this verse to mind:
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12)
Everyone needs to know they're beloved, not just me. We can never be reminded too often that each day we are chosen and dearly loved by the One who knows us better than anyone else.
I think that is the basic longing built in to almost all of us that keeps us seeking God: to feel beloved. (You know you have a book here, right?)
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, that people in general just want to be loved. It makes you think about how much impact you can have in someone's life by offering that unconditional love.
Delete