For a while now, I’ve debated whether or not I want to get a tattoo. I know exactly where I want it and what I want it to say.
The words, “imago dei” (image of God), are of spiritual significance to me, and I would like them in a spot where I can see them often as a reminder of my true identity in Christ.
When I heard mention of God having a tattoo, it immediately drew my attention.
Right away I looked up the scripture reference. In Isaiah 49:14-16, God is stating that Zion has accused God of forgetting them. God’s response is this: “Can a woman forget her nursing child or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you. Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” Another translation says “Jerusalem, I can never forget you! I have written your name on the palms of my hands.”
Did you catch that? God tells them that He has written their names–and all those who belong to Him, including you and me–on His hands.
God has a tattoo, and it’s you! Not because He needs to be reminded of you in the same way that I need to be reminded of my identity, but because you are His child! You are on His mind constantly. He loves you beyond imagination.
As I sit and ponder this incredible truth, I am reminded of the rough, worn hands of Jesus, who was a carpenter. The hands that felt the grain of wood are the same nail-scarred hands of the one who gave it all.
As Jesus was hung on the cross, blameless and sinless, He took all of our sin, guilt, and shame upon himself. The grief and pain were overwhelming, still, he willingly stretched out His arms and opened His hands, revealing your name written there. And as they drove the nails in to pierce his hands, our identity as sinners was also driven into the wood to be left there for all of eternity.
Through the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, we know that God our Father does not forget. Your name is inscribed on His palms, and it can’t wash away.
Ronda Gilbert is an Air Force wife, mother of 3 and fitness instructor/ personal trainer in Fairfax, VA. You can connect with her at https://www.facebook.com/Grace
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CHIVONNE’S HIIT – “REMAIN”
HIIT (or High Intensity Interval Training) is a training technique in which you move with your all-out, one hundred percent effort in short, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up, maximizing your workout time. (INT/ADV) (JOHN 15:3-5; HAND WEIGHTS)
2 Responses
I will never forget the first time that I read this verse and it speaks to me all of these years later. Thank you so much for sharing this today…it was so unbelievably powerful and resonant in my life!
We are so glad you are here with us, Karen!