Inked for Eternal Life

Nowadays, whenever someone asks me about the tattoo on my left shoulder, I briefly explain that it’s a PERMANENT MARK OF A TEMPORARY INSANITY. It is not a secret that I did have a fair share of the wild lifestyle for some years. Looking back, I cannot believe how foolishly impulsive I was. Honestly, I didn’t even think about the what-ifs that came with getting permanently inked… What if I grow out of it?... What if I get married?... What if I become a mom?... a Grandma? None of these thoughts ever came an inch close to my mind. I was purely living for the moment without the least remorse. Some people called it guts, “astig” “cool”… but really now, it was just plain craziness. I was definitely living on an out of this world mental and emotional plane at that time.

When I started my spiritual walk with God, one of the strongest Bible verses that I came across with was Isaiah 49:16: "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

Wow, God has a tattoo of me! The difference is that he had full knowledge of what he was getting himself into. It was God’s decision to love us. That decision wasn't a temporary commitment—his love won't stop if someone better comes along. And it wasn't a conditional commitment—his love isn't based on what we can contribute to the relationship. It's a forever promise, a "not even death can part us" promise. In our human relationships, we long for tangible reminders that we're loved. We want people to remember our birthday, send us flowers for no particular reason, tell us what they appreciate about us; hug us.

One time my little boy Kean tugged on my sleeve and said, "I have a secret to tell you." Then he "whispered" into my ear, loud enough anyway for anybody else to hear, "I love you!" Five minutes later, another tug, another whisper. This time: "I love you very much!" Throughout that moment, Kean’s eyes lit up every time he thought of another way to express his love. For someone whose Love Language is WORDS, I melted each time he delivered his secret. And I was reminded of how we're wired to be told we're loved. God knows we have this need. He understands our short memory and our desire for tangible proof. So not only does he tell us over and over in Scripture how crazy he is about us, he went so far as to engrave our names on the palms of his hands. If there ever was a doubt of his love, God's tattoo settles it now and forever. We belong to him. Permanently. Unconditionally. "It is he who made us, and we are his" – Psalm 100:3

Apparently we aren't the first ones who needed reminders of God's love. Thousands of years ago, God assured the Israelites of the coming Redeemer and of his plan to save them (Isaiah 49). But the Israelites weren't convinced. Though they'd seen God's faithfulness in the past, they were desperate for a little proof. They lamented, "The Lord has turned away and forgotten us" — Isaiah 49:14

I have only ACKNOWLEDGED evidence of God's faithfulness just recently. Like the Israelites, I've been parched for some proof of God's love for many years. I started to crave God-love when I was painfully realizing with each break-up and heartache and deep-seeded family hurts of how conditional and transitory human relationships tend to be.

When I quit the wild nightlife – taking my nephew Kean under my wing, working from home and getting to know God, my friends list suddenly was slashed down to more than half. Now the only way I manage to keep tabs or be on track about my friends’ lives is through Friendster or Multiply. Some of my friends have started making babies. Now I’m married it further makes it impossible for any coffee chats or girly night outs with my single female friends. While these changes are inevitable and aren't personal, they remind me that relationships don't stay the same. Life can be so fluid. But honestly, I do miss my friends sometimes. I miss the good ol’ days. Sometimes it’s even hard for some of us to move on from one job to another. It’s hard to break up with someone we’ve been steady with for 5 years or more.

None of these adjustments is so different from what everyone else goes through — it's just life. And maybe that's part of why change is so difficult to swallow. At the core of who we are, we long for permanence, for someone who'll never leave us, move away, get too busy for us, grow tired of us. Someone who'll never stop loving us.

"I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

At the time the prophet Isaiah recorded these words (about 2,500 years ago), it was common for pagan worshipers to carve the name of their god into their hands. The throbbing pain reminded them of their devotion and hopefully earned them their god's attention. God spoke into this mixed-up religious climate — and turned things completely upside down. Instead of asking us to prove our love and worship, he took great pain on himself to show us his love. And instead of demanding our sacrifice, he sent his Son to be the sacrifice in our place. "Christ … loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" – Ephesians 5:2

Now I still have my tattoos. And what I used to call Art now just becomes a nagging Scar of my dark past. Thankfully, God's tattoo isn't like that. There's no chance of a removal process, no possibility of a cross-out. He'll never get tired of us; he'll never break off the relationship. He'll never abandon us or leave us for someone else. And he'll never ever stop loving us. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance, guts (I heard it’s really painful) or MONEY to have my old tattoos removed. But I know I now have a beautiful new tattoo. I have been inked for Eternal Life when I received Jesus Christ.