GOD'S TATTOO

I've always been in awe of people who have the guts to get a tattoo. It's not their physical bravery or social courage that impresses me so much as the permanence of their decision.

In Isaiah 49:16 "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

God has a tattoo. And it has my name on it. With full knowledge of what he was getting himself into, God made a decision to love me. That decision wasn't a temporary commitment—his love won't stop if someone better comes along. And it wasn't a conditional commitment—his love isn't based on what we can contribute to the relationship. It's a forever promise, a "not even death can part us" promise.

Thinking about our human relationships...we long for tangible reminders that we're loved. We want people to remember our birthday, send us flowers for no particular reason, tell us what they appreciate about us, hug us. Each time he tells me, "I love you." or "You are special, really special to me.", I melt and shivers roll down my spine. And I am reminded of how we're wired to be told we're loved.

God knows we have this need. He understands our short memory and our desire for tangible proof. So not only does he tell us over and over in Scripture how crazy he is about us, he went so far as to engrave our names on the palms of his hands. If there ever was a doubt of his love, God's tattoo settles it now and forever. We belong to him. Permanently. Uncon-ditionally. "It is he who made us, and we are his" (Psalm 100:3).