Remembering

So I have been thinking about getting a tattoo. This is not a recent thought or something I am doing out on a whim. I have been kicking around this idea for well over a year now. They say that if you want a tattoo you should think about it for awhile before you get one. And if after awhile you still want it, then go ahead and get it because it’s not something you will regret. That’s just what ‘they’ say. Some of you may say, “Matt, I never knew you were the tattoo type.” To which I would reply, “There’s a tattoo type?” Or other, slightly more conservative folk like my grandmother, would say, “But tattoos are of the Devil.” I would probably ignore you if you said that though because sometimes I get tired of arguing. What thing do I want permanently inked onto my skin? Something simple. Just words, no pictures. I don’t want a flaming skull across my chest or anything. It wouldn’t match my life. I am thinking a Bible verse actually. Not a whole verse, but just the book, chapter and verse number. Isaiah 6:8. It’s kinda a reminder to me to be willing to do whatever God wants of me.

I think reminders are good to have. I know I especially need reminders because I have learned recently that I am very forgetful. (So if we cross paths sometime and I don’t remember your name, let me apologize. I’ll try to play it off like I remember, but I seriously am very forgetful.) I think reminders about God are important. I think we all need to be reminded who He is, and about His love, and who we are in Him. Why do we need reminders of these things? Because so often we forget.

I know there have been many times where I have forgotten whose I am. I have forgotten who I represent. I have forgotten who He is. It’s so easy just to get caught up in something; whether it’s a job, school, yourself, another person, the culture, and even playing religion. It is so easy just to lose focus. Notice I said playing religion. I imagine many TV evangelists face times where they forget about authenticity and take on the roles of performing a show. It’s easy to put on my Jesus outfit (not a literal outfit) on Sundays, but it’s hard to remember to put it on everyday. Though He is with us always, many times we forget that our lives should reflect this always.

And that’s the thing when you claim to follow Him, you bring Him with you everywhere you go. Whether you are doing what He says to do or not, He still there with you. We can’t change that He is there. We can change how others view Him based on how we represent Him. They can either be turned off or turned on. Everyone knows I believe in gray areas when it comes to faith, but these things are black and white. I’m either doing what the Bible says or I am just not that serious about following Him. Either I am fleeing from lust or I am an adulterer (remember when Jesus says that even our thoughts can make us adulterers. So it has means more than just pre-martial sex.).

I guess the main thought of all of this is that I want to remember more often that I belong to God. That He is not something I can just put on whenever I feel like it. And if I really am taking my relationship with Him seriously, then I will actually do what He says to do. It’s really a simple idea, but often times I know I let it slip my mind. Simply living as He wants me to live, everyday, no matter where I am or who I am with. Doing what He says when I am out with friends on a Friday night. Doing what He says when I find myself alone with my girlfriend (I have no girlfriend, but if I did this would apply.) Doing what He says when I think no one else is watching. Doing what He says when it seems no one else is. Doing what He says and not adding to that my own created list of religious practices (I don’t have to abstain from alcohol; I just don’t need to get drunk.) Well I think that sums it all up. Walk in love…