Heyo! Coming at you with some fresh news, right off the press! Or should I say right off the tattoo table? Wow, the Lord has been so great these past 4 months and I wanted to share with you all the reasons as to why this tattoo I got means so much to me. Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen, this is about to get wild!
The Lord has slowly been showing me more and more of my identity while being all across the world. In month one, Côte d’Ivoire, he began to strip away the little lies that I was believing about myself. I can remember there was one day I was praying, and He gave me this vision of a sound wave. I saw it as a tattoo on someone and thought, “Surely the Lord knows that I hate needles and pain. That wasn’t for me!” So I continued on without thinking about it. A couple days later, my host, Papa Zeke, had given me the name Aklundjue, which means Joy. I began to walk out what it looks like to have joy. There were some days that I would forget, but my team was quick to call me higher in that aspect.
Month two, Ghana, I was praying and questioning a lot of what the Lord was wanting of me, and He began to break down my walls. I remember at one point I straight up asked, “Lord, who do you call me in heaven?” And I was shocked by His response. [I won’t be giving away my name on here, because I want to be able to share with you when you receive your name, but I will give some context clues for you 🙂 ] He began to speak that He gave me this name because He knew that once I could get over my PRIDE, that I would be a radiant light that would be able to shatter darkness and move mountains. I went through month two in awe of His faithfulness towards me, that He answers when we ask. But once again, I didn’t really go back to it. This month I really heard the Lord speaking to me to do a study on the names of the Lord in the Bible, so I went searching. I compiled a list of over 30 names the Lord is called including the Jehovah names, as well as other common ones like El Roi, which means the God who sees. Our last day in Ghana, the Lord gave me this vision of a boat in the ocean with huge waves. I was on the boat but unable to keep my balance and eventually fell overboard. At the last moment when all hope was lost and I began to give up, He says, “Stand, Morgan!” And the water became shallow and I could stand in it.
Month three comes and we are in Togo, where the Lord brings people into conversations with me that blow my mind. I walk through a couple passages on forgiveness that give me new depth and understanding for how Christ forgives us. I talk with one of the leaders to share my heavenly name with her, and we begin to dig in to what those names mean. The first way I thought the name was spelt, the word meant “wished-for child”, “rebellion”, and “bitter”. But the second way I thought the name was spelt meant “joyous” and “mirthful.” It was this sweet picture of how the Lord had made me in His image, but because of this sinful world I would become bitter and rebel against Him. But when I finally would come back to Him, it would be this joyous occasion, just like the story of the lost sheep [Luke 15:1-7], the lost coin [Luke 15:8-10], and the lost son [Luke 15:11-32]. The Lord reminded me of the list of names that I had made prior that month, and He asked me, “Which one do you think I want you to know?” After a few days of praying and seeking guidance, Jehovah Jireh was heavy on my heart, which means the Lord that provides. THAT WAS IT! That was the tattoo the Lord showed me month one.
So here I am in month four, Thailand, and struggling with attacks of the enemy. I walked into a team meeting, and by the end of it walked through deliverance and inner healing because the enemy had attacked so much of who I thought I was. The next day, during worship, everything in me broke. We were singing “Reckless Love” and the Lord began to show me this picture. In the verse, “before I spoke a word, you were singing over me” the Lord began to show me this picture of Him holding me in His arms. His arms were perpendicular to His body and He was singing a song over me and cradling me like I was His very own. In the next verse, “before I took a breath, you breathed your life in me,” he showed me this image of Him breathing gently over me and speaking over me that I am His wished-for child. Did you catch that? He called me by my name.
So how does this all tie into the tattoo that I got? My tattoo means, the Lord will provide joy. In Genesis 50:21 it says, “So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” It is a constant reminder that the Lord will give me what I need. He spoke over me when I was born, and He continues to do the same now. The waves are a reminder of the first time I began to embrace Joy, and will continue to be a reminder that I have to choose joy from the Lord. I never in a million years thought I would get a tattoo. But, here I am, choosing obedience even when it causes me temporary pain. Jesus is worth it!
Fundraising Update:
I currently am only in need of $1,000 more in order to be fully funded by the deadline of April 30th! If you feel called to donate, any amount would be appreciated. Small donations impact the Kingdom just as much as large donations! Thank you so much for readin today and I pray that the Lord blesses you somehow special this week!
XOXO
