There are some things we really want – like tattoos!
Then we research them, chase and nail them. It’s all a bit of fun. However, to get a tattoo takes time, a certain amount of pain, and money. It is also fairly permanent!
Those who choose tattoos, have their own good reasons for getting them.
That’s what I thought, anyway!
The day in the market with that question was enlightening.
Some loved their tattoos; others just hated theirs…
One thing in common was that they all had a story to tell about them.
It’s a bit like the way we all have a story to tell about each of our individual lives…
Some parts are happy, some are sad, and others are just confusing or embarrassing.
“I hate them all!”
That was the impassioned response of an Irish young woman. She had got them when under the influence at 15 years of age.
Others talked about some of the ones they had already partly removed – at greater expense than the original cost and with much greater pain! Ouch!
The theme of ‘regrets’ came up many times
That is also something that all of us can identify with in our lives, whether tattoos or not.
How many of our personal actions in our lives do we actually deeply regret?
Shame and embarrassment surround those actions in our memories.
What we have thought, what we have said, what we have done…
The list for each of us seems endless.
That’s what is so good about the good news about Jesus. We can have that shame and guilt taken away by what he purposely achieved for us on the cross. He can bring us to God, washed clean. It’s like he forgives my past, changes me on the inside, and makes me into a new person.
The reason for those regrets gets taken away. Amazing!