Hope in the Form of a New Tattoo

Friday evening was Round 2 on the white tatt. I’ve been preparing myself for the possibility of a third session (and not just because I like threes, lol), but Sabin said more of the white ink took then he expected, which is good. I seem to have good tattoo mojo – when I had one removed years ago, the technician said more of the ink dissolved away then she’d expected after the first session. So I guess among other things, I respond well to ink…coming or going.

Anyway, now, while I nurse my left wrist and ignore the subtle itch from my skin tightening into a scab, I wonder if my mindset is any different from when I first got this tattoo. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I’m 100% over the more painful reasons why I got it…but I can say I don’t feel the need to communicate those reasons before the more positive reasons.

In addition to any afore mentioned reasons, I decided to place “Love…” on my left wrist, because on that wrist, it would point out, toward my hand. Toward action. I asked Sabin to put it more on the top part of my wrist, rather than right in the middle or towards the lower part of my wrist. I wanted the dot, dot, dot to point to my thumb. Expectantly - dot, dot, dot – more to come. I didn’t want the idea to allude to my hand or my palm, because it’s really all about the thumb. It’s the thumb that’s opposable. The thumb that is the maker of things happening, so to speak.

Around the same time I was combating my emotions to the negative, God was revealing to me that love is action. "Faith without works is dead." When I moved to California, almost immediately I started looking for volunteer opportunities. But my reasons where more…self serving then I cared to acknowledge. Nothing much came from my efforts, because I wasn’t making it for the right reasons, or with the right focus. While I was feeling abandoned, unloved, alone (insert sorrowful descriptor here ;), He was whispering to me “If you love me, you will love others.” God was telling me to love because I love Him and I struggled with that. I struggled, because I didn’t know how. I know how to love on people I know (a-hem, read: people I like), but I don't know how to love on people I don’t know (or like). I don’t know what I’m good at, or what I have to offer people. But I promised to look for opportunities…I would have to put my love for Christ into action. Because, if I may quote the illustrious DC Talk, love…is a verb.

This morning, Pastor Aaron shared about one of our church’s holiday ministries, called Christmas for Kids (yeah, yeah, so we haven’t mastered creative titling, yet!). Christmas for Kids is a holiday program our church started for area families who (for various reasons) would otherwise not qualify for community aide programs during the holiday season. Element (that’s my church, btw), invites these families – usually single moms and their kids – to the church for a social time…and shopping trips. Wait, what?? I’m sorry, did you say…shopping? Yeah – volunteers decorate the church, they cook meals to share at the church and they take the children and sometimes the moms shopping. Wait, see, there it is again. I just need to be clear on this. So, what you’re saying is, you have an actual ministry, for shopping?? Wow. Ok, yeah. So, uuuh…can I sign up twice for that, or how’s that work, exactly…? Because I am all over this ministry. For reals. :-D It’s a short term ministry, only for the holiday season. But it’s also exactly up my alley – and completely within my spiritual giftings (lol).

The feelings that came with the initial “Love…” tattoo are slowly healing. Eventually, those scabs will flake away revealing what’s beneath. With this recent touch up, I believe that what’s there, will be something more like Christ.

Love y'all!

~M~