CDC Question 3

My parents cringe at the thought of this…

It’s clear different generations have different opinions on tattoos, but the idea behind this question is what word or phrase means so much to you that you would want to be forever marked by it?

I was raised in a tattoo free home, and my parents definitely are not fans of writing on yourself with markers, let alone permanent ink. I remember my mom not wanting us to draw on our arms or write words. But as I grew older, past the high school/college stages of trying out new things, and into motherhood, I began thinking of one word that I wanted tattooed on my arm. Jared and I married at 21, had our first child at 25, and in the midst of starting a family we realized our weaknesses and great need for God to show us the way. We battled depression in varying degrees, a child with developmental delays and anxiety and depression of his own, another child with sensory issues with food and outbursts of anger from all of us that seemed so far from my ideal family in my head. Through part time jobs, body casts because of broken femurs, incredible tax burdens that wiped out bank accounts, disappointments with church jobs and hopes deferred, these words came to mind over and over: “Come, Lord Jesus!” Before these words in Revelation 22, John describes the river of life and its scene I long so desperately for.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

As Revelation describes, I long for a tree of life that yields fruit each season and no longer would anything be accursed. And even more than that, I long to see my creator’s face and God’s light to overpower all darkness. Truly until the day I die, the desire of my heart is for the Lord to come. To make all things new and wipe away every tear. 

Jared has worked in ministry for over 18 years, and in that time we have seen more heartache than I can stand. Cancer, affairs, deep battles with mental illness, misunderstandings that lead to so much division, marriages at war, and the list goes on and on. Sin has wreaked incredible havoc on us all, and God’s grace is the only power that has kept us throughout it. The words of Paul at the end of his letter to the Corinthians express the same sentiment found in Revelation 22: Our Lord, come! (1 Cor. 16:22) The Aramaic phrase for this is “Maranatha!” This is the phrase that has come to mind as we have walked more and more with God in this life. The Lord’s coming to make all things new is what I long for more than anything.

And so for about 4 years I thought about getting a tattoo with this phrase, Maranatha. And with a dear friend who was going through a season of fire in her life (with pain too much to even describe), we went to the tattoo place in downtown Athens and were marked by words that meant the world to us. So if the Lord gives me 80 years to live, I decided I wanted my wrinkly, aged skin to have this hope written on it until I see Jesus face to face, and I will.

Maranatha; Come, Lord Jesus, Come!