Tattoos seem to be a controversial topic among Christians. One side holds the argument that our body is a temple and should not be defaced. Personally, I believe that a tattoo that proclaims your faith, is a testament to God in some way, or represents a positive message does not go against Christianity at all.
Everyone evangelizes and worships in different ways. As time evolved, tattoos and ink became a form of expression. Expression can be evangelism.
At any rate, a tattoo outwardly expresses to the world that you are a Christian, and to an extent, forces you to remember that and act accordingly.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunday, July 1, 2012
A Word About Beauty
I've spent the greater half of my teenage life living with insecurities. Fears about not being good enough, pretty enough, muscular enough, funny enough, liked enough, yet I always denied that I was insecure. I acted with a confidence that didn't come from the Lord, but from some conjured, imaginary place in my mind.
Confidence never came until I experienced a new truth at Camp Barnabas. Camp Barnabas is a weeklong camp in Missouri for children and adults with disabilities. The theme for that week was Wanted. They taught that each person was DESIRED by the Creator of the Universe. That the same God that created the heavens, the mountains, the lakes, the beaches, everything we view as the most beautiful places in the world, created us as well. And He views us as even more beautiful than any of those places. The same God that looks down at the vast ocean and says "That is good," looks over at us, and says "That is even better."
The most beautiful picture I had that week was one of myself. But not in a vain, self-centered way. The most beautiful image, forever ingrained in my mind, is of me, looking out in awe at the beauty of God's creations, thinking that if I could, I would stare at this forever. And then of God, staring at me at the same time, thinking the exact same things.
God doesn't make mistakes. I am not a mistake. The skinny legs I believe are flaws are not mistakes. The hair I hate is not a mistake. The eyes I think could be prettier are not mistakes. The body I want to be better is not a mistake.
I was created in the image of God, with a vision and for a purpose. In the eyes of the Creator, I am perfectly formed. An angel in the eyes of the Lord. I now believe in the confidence that can only come from God, and that makes me more beautiful than any makeup, straightener, or clothing ever could.
Confidence never came until I experienced a new truth at Camp Barnabas. Camp Barnabas is a weeklong camp in Missouri for children and adults with disabilities. The theme for that week was Wanted. They taught that each person was DESIRED by the Creator of the Universe. That the same God that created the heavens, the mountains, the lakes, the beaches, everything we view as the most beautiful places in the world, created us as well. And He views us as even more beautiful than any of those places. The same God that looks down at the vast ocean and says "That is good," looks over at us, and says "That is even better."
The most beautiful picture I had that week was one of myself. But not in a vain, self-centered way. The most beautiful image, forever ingrained in my mind, is of me, looking out in awe at the beauty of God's creations, thinking that if I could, I would stare at this forever. And then of God, staring at me at the same time, thinking the exact same things.
God doesn't make mistakes. I am not a mistake. The skinny legs I believe are flaws are not mistakes. The hair I hate is not a mistake. The eyes I think could be prettier are not mistakes. The body I want to be better is not a mistake.
I was created in the image of God, with a vision and for a purpose. In the eyes of the Creator, I am perfectly formed. An angel in the eyes of the Lord. I now believe in the confidence that can only come from God, and that makes me more beautiful than any makeup, straightener, or clothing ever could.
Love: What Does it Really Mean?
'I will love you for you. Not for what you have done or what you will become.' - What Love Really Means/JJ Heller.
Love can be a complicated emotion. Or at least that is how it has come to be seen. I don't believe 'love' is the complicated thing. Rejection, pain, heartbreak, confusion, lust, uncertainty. Those are the complicated things. I truly believe love is relatively simple. God completely lays out to us what love is.
'Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.'
Anything that strays away from these key characteristics of love is no longer love, but jealousy, pride, anger, and everything in between. Love is specific and determined. It is not conditional. We love people for who they are, not for what they have done, or what they will do. Love is everlasting and eternal, and cannot be lost or destroyed. God calls us to love in this way, without condition and without ceasing.
Love can be a complicated emotion. Or at least that is how it has come to be seen. I don't believe 'love' is the complicated thing. Rejection, pain, heartbreak, confusion, lust, uncertainty. Those are the complicated things. I truly believe love is relatively simple. God completely lays out to us what love is.
'Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.'
Anything that strays away from these key characteristics of love is no longer love, but jealousy, pride, anger, and everything in between. Love is specific and determined. It is not conditional. We love people for who they are, not for what they have done, or what they will do. Love is everlasting and eternal, and cannot be lost or destroyed. God calls us to love in this way, without condition and without ceasing.
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