Hope:
This word was my first tattoo, along with it I have a feather that comes off of it. The placement is on my wrist so that whenever I look down I’m reminded to look up. The reason behind it is simple hope gives me life. Each and every day, I inhale the hope from the Lord and exhale his peace. The word hope has always been one of those words for me that speaks volumes even when its just whispered. Because when you think you cannot keep going God will give us enough to keep hoping and you will feel like you have been swept up on the wings of eagles and he will hold you even when you let go of him.
… “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:26-31, NIV)
“Live by faith, be known by love, and be the voice of hope…”
This is my next tattoo that I got while I was in Thailand. (It's on my side so no photo will be shown of it sorry folks) These words have been ingrained in me thanks to my youth pastor back home. This simple yet profound phrase speaks so clearly to me on how I want to live my life.
“To live by faith” is to live completely and wholeheartedly for Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. To not see with my eyes, but to see with my heart.
“Be known by love” is to share the love of God to others around me. To be known by the love of the heavenly Father, so that its contagious to people and they want more, not of me, but of Him. Love must begin in God, but it must flow to others or it is false. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother (1 John 4:19-21).
“Be the voice of hope” is to give hope to the hopeless, to spread the light of the savior to the darkest regions of people, the soul. If we live by faith and are known by love, I believe through those two things that we almost become a voice of hope. Our radically changed lives will scream that God can do the same for other broken people.
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
Love:
I have it so love is an arrow and the O is a compass. This tattoo has a bit more in depth meaning behind it so bare with me….
I use to think that following God meant that if I constantly measured the distance between me and Him, I’d end up getting closer. All I really needed to know when it came down to it is that the direction I was pointing and that I was somewhere inside the large circle of God’s love and forgiveness. I see myself floating in a massive sea of God’s love. The circle of his grace and forgiveness is big enough and the line leading to him points straight and true like an arrow heading towards its target. I use to think that following God required a lot of navigation, but now I know all I need is a line and a circle. I know that every time I go on an adventure with him even through the mistakes, zig-zags, uphill climbs and so much more when I end up at my “final destination” he’ll always say “Welcome home” to me.
Adventure:
Everyone longs to have an adventure to go and do either by themselves or with someone else. This tattoo is a little bit more than just the word adventure. The A is a mountain because that is where I go to escape the realities of this world and find the Lord, to go on an adventure with him! The mountains are where I see God most, I can go and be silent and listen for him in them, I get to be surrounded by the beauty and majesty of his creation, and then I can basically go and do anything in them and feel the love and the presence of God in them, they are grand, magnificent, beautiful, serene, and yet dangerous, just like God is. The T in adventure is a tree because through all the adventures that I do, if I am not deeply rooted in God through them than I feel like I am missing out on finding his love, joy, and glory through it all. I want all my adventures to be rooted in the love of my father who captures my heart each day. That is why I want to be able to say each day of my life is an adventure with the great and mighty King of creation!
Faith:
This tattoo is on my foot. Yes cliche I think so but hey I’m a symbolic person. Its on my foot because I walk by faith, not by sight. The word faith is like a heart beat type font and on the end there is an unfinished sun. Faith is my life source, because God is whom I live for each day. The unfinished sun is to symbolize Jesus the Son but as well because light has been very prominent in my life and the Race as well. It is connected to the word faith because my faith comes from the ultimate source of light, Jesus. The reason that it is unfinished is so that I remember that my faith is never finished, that I can always continue to grow and that God is never finished with me yet.
