Last year I got inked.  For the first time ever.  I was 42 years old, and no, it was not a mid-life crisis.  I had always kinda sorta secretly wanted to get a tattoo, but knew that whatever I chose to have permanently put on my body would have to be full of meaning.  As a young adult, I went so far as to create a design and head down to Deep Ellum with a friend, only to chicken out at the last minute.  I’m so glad I did.  What I thought I wanted at the age of 20 would have been ridiculous at 40.   In the years since, I have never been able to come up with anything I was passionate enough about to warrant the time, money, and pain (so I’d heard).  Until my friend Shawna got this:

I instantly knew I wanted one too.  And so did two other friends.  You see, that purple butterfly is a symbol for Dravet Syndrome – the condition my daughter has.  And Shawna’s daughter has.  And Tori’s daughter has.  And Lynne’s daughter has it too.  So we all decided to go together and get the thing done.  But…I didn’t want just the butterfly.  I have two beautiful daughters.  I wanted to represent them both.  So this is what I came up with:

I chose the butterfly for Shelby and the flower for my Allie Rose (whose middle name was chosen as a symbol of the romance from which she was conceived.  So this one represents my wonderful husband as well).  And I added the cross in the center, because I constantly ask for help in keeping Jesus in the middle of it all.  Although I was proud of my choice, you may notice that it doesn’t look so great for a design that’s only 1 year old.  I even had one outspoken (or rudely blunt) friend exclaim, “That’s a pretty crappy looking tattoo!”  Initially I was a little disappointed that some of the lines look faded and broken, but I had some kind of reaction to the purple ink that included excessive scarring.  Even though the artist offered me a free touch-up, any other color than purple wouldn’t appropriately represent Dravet Syndrome.  And I didn’t relish another round of gross scabs from the same color.  I decided to keep it the way you see it now.  And the longer I have it, the more I love it.

I love my tattoo because I love the ladies I had this experience alongside.  It represents the struggles we all have and the bond we share to be in such an exclusive club.  I love it because there are two lines left unblemished.  The ones that make up the cross.  My marriage, although a sense of great joy for me, is not perfect.  And although I am extremely proud of Allie, she is far from flawless.  I am reminded of that more and more as she stretches out ever closer to those teenage years.  And as sweet as she is, my Shelby is not without issue.  She is nut-driving at times and stressful always.  But Jesus.  HE IS PERFECT.  He stands in the middle of all my broken messes as a beacon of beauty and hope.  His love never fades and He never disappoints.  He is holding it all together.  So mostly, I love my messed up tattoo because I love my perfect Savior.  Do you know Him?  If you don’t, I would love the opportunity to tell you more.

In terms of readership, my last blog post was one of my most unpopular.  But it was the most important thing I’ve ever written.  And I had to be obedient to write it – even if no one read it.  If you didn’t get the chance, you can find it here.  It’s so important – I mean life or death stuff here – that I felt compelled to write a follow-up.  Even if few will open the link.

I am such a poor communicator at times, that I wanted to provide you a couple of other resources that explain why we need Jesus and how simple it can be to open yourself up to Him.

The first is called The Bridge to Life.  It is a written explanation with illustrations.  You can find it here.  If you prefer to watch and listen to a video instead, try this 12 minute piece made by the pastor of the church I attend.

I will now take my leave.  This article may not be long, but it is urgent.  The subject matter is so pressing that it warranted more than a one-and-done blog post.

As always, if you have questions or comments about anything I have presented, I would love to dialogue with you about it.  You can leave a comment below, post on my Facebook or Twitter page, or send me a private message.  I am praying for you, reader friend.  And I love you all.

I must confess that after hearing Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes acceptance speech yesterday, I was tempted to write a political blog about how it is time to stop perpetuating devision.  The election is over, we need to pull together for the good of the country, blah, blah, blah.  I scratched that idea after feeling a nudge (the Holy Spirit maybe?), reminding me that no one is listening.  On either side.  At this point I don’t really feel like I have value to add to the conversation.  Nothing new that hasn’t been said by someone else – and probably more eloquently.  And…I felt a calling to write to you on a much more important matter.  Salvation.

Before you close this link and possibly unfriend me, let me say that I realize religion is just as popular a topic these days as politics.  Especially if the religion you want to talk about is Christianity.  But I don’t want to talk about religion.  I want to talk about Jesus.  More than 2,000 years after His death, Jesus is still a very polarizing figure.  Why?  Because He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.”  John 14:6 NASB  By many, it is considered arrogant, bigoted and narrow-minded to believe there is only one way to inherit salvation (and therefore, heaven).  And it’s certainly viewed as ALL those things, plus PUSHY to tell others about Jesus.  Let me share with you, though, in the words of an atheist, how sharing how God’s plan for your salvation is the most loving thing I can do.

Magician and comedian Penn Jillette, has been very vocal about his disdain for faith – for anything that he cannot see or touch.  And although he thinks he has no use for God, he told a story once about a man who gave him a Bible after one of his shows.  Jillette said the man was very kind and complimentary of him.  And although to this point, the entertainer’s mind is unchanged, he respected the man because he was shown respect.  And he said these words, which I cannot get out of my mind, “How much do you have to HATE somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”  Although he disagreed with his fan, the atheist saw the evangelism for what it was – an act of love.  Someone who doesn’t believe in God has convinced me that the most loving thing that I can do for you is to tell you about Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:23 tells us that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  God created a perfect world, but when Adam and Eve committed the first sin it separated all of humanity from God.  Because He has never sinned, God cannot associate with sin.  This not only separates us from Him here on earth, but keeps us out of heaven because He is there.  But God loves each and every one of us so very much that He doesn’t want to be separated from Him.  1 Timothy 2:4 “But God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  So he made a way.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23  God didn’t want us to die an eternal death, but death is the natural consequence for sin.  We have all committed sin.  Everyone, that is, except Jesus.  God’s spotless son.  He sacrificed His perfect son to death – a death that we deserve.  Jesus satisfied God’s judgement for us all.  Acts 2:21 tells us to “Call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved.”  That’s it.  If you believe you are a sinner and that Jesus can save you from that sin, all you have to do is call on Him in prayer.  Tell Him that you believe in Him and want to accept His Salvation.

That’s a pretty simplistic explanation, but you don’t have to understand the whole Bible to come to Jesus.  For most of us biblical literacy is a life long pursuit.  You don’t have to clean up your life to call on Him.  He will do that for you.  You don’t have to stop anything you are currently doing or start doing something you aren’t.  There is no way for you to earn salvation.  Just ask for it.  Anything that God wants to change in you, He will.  In time.

it is impossible for me to thoroughly describe such a big, mysterious, powerful God in a blog post.  But I would love to continue this conversation with any of you.  Online or on the phone if you are long distance, or over a cup of coffee if you are in close proximity.  Really.  I share this because I love you.  But more importantly, the creator of the universe loves you.