Read
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1
Reflect
Tattoos have increasingly become more popular in our culture. It seems like half of the people I see have at least one visible tattoo somewhere on their body, and most have a story or significance that go with them. My daughter, who was always terrified of needles as a child, has more than a half-dozen tattoos, including her first one, which was a yellow rose and scripture that honored my mother.
People who get tattoos tend to have good memories about their body art — but not always. Years ago I heard a story about a woman who was in an abusive relationship with an alcoholic boyfriend. The boyfriend insisted that she get a tattoo of him on her arm. She initially resisted, but after weeks of pressure she finally gave in and got the tattoo.
That woman eventually left the boyfriend and ended up getting married to another man. She was happy in her marriage, but the tattoo was still there. More significant than the tattoo was the fact that her mind daily revisited the memory of her pain, the boyfriend and the history of that relationship.
Not everyone’s tattoo is on his or her body. Many of us have deeply embedded emotional tattoos that cause great spiritual pain and discomfort. Like that woman, each of us must be able to find a way around our painful and sinful past. Jesus is the answer. He can heal your memory and remove your emotional tattoos.
More than that, God offers us alternative “soul tattoos” that will remind us of who we are and whose we are. Author Samuel Kee notes that in Isaiah 43, the Lord declares four eternal promises that act like tattoos for our soul:
- You are mine (Isaiah 43:1)
- I will be with you (Isaiah 43:2)
- I love you (Isaiah 43:4)
- I created you for my glory (Isaiah 43:7)
The world will do its best to ink our souls with what it hopes will be indelible ink. Our enemy wants us to relive our past pain and misery daily. But when we allow God to be our artist, He will not only remove the tattoos of our past, but He will also replace them with His own truly indelible ink that will wipe away the past in the brightness of our faith and love for Jesus and what He is doing in our life today.
Reflection copyright © 2021 Doug DeBolt. and Charles Fulton.
