Isaiah 43.

It's true. Thursday afternoon I went to Mos Eisliys and made an appointment....to get a tattoo. Friday night I got in the chair with my leg exposed, and received what could be one of the most unique things about me now, and for no other reason than the meaning of it.

Isaiah 43:4 says this:

"Since you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you, I would give men in exchange for you, people in exchange for your life."

Literally translated from the Hebrew it says: Because then. you are precious. in the eyes of me. and honored. and I. I love you. (part a).

About 2 months ago at the last 24.7 prayer at the Stockbridge BoilerRoom. I said to God: "I need to know that you love me." Not even an hour later, I was led to this scripture.
Going through the Beth Moore Bible Study: Believing God. We learned a 5 statement pledge.
1. God is who He says He is.
2. God can do what He says He can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God's word is alive and active in me.

Through finding scripture, and backing these statements up, we learned a lot about our marvelous God! However, the one that I struggled with the most was "I am who God says I am." No matter how many times I read this, how many verses I looked up, how many times we prayed about it. I could not bring myself to believe this.
Discouraged I fell into sin.

After a few weeks of basically stopping my life. I was at one of the lowest points, in sin, and realized. I don't have to live like this. I am loved unconditionally.
Realizing this, I went back to this scripture, and began to do a little research on it. In the passage, the Israelites are moving in a direction that is not what God wanted them to. And I found a Bible that commentated this:
" God created the people of Israel, and they were special to him. God redeemed them and called them by name to be those who belong to him. God protected Israel in times of trouble. We are important to God, too."

I am a child of God, just as those Israelites, and as hard as it may be to accept it in times of self pity for myself, God loves me....he LOVES me.

Getting this tattoo, is for me a reminder to myself: I am who God says I am...I am really. It may be hard at times. But I do not have to life a life of sin. I can live a life as the redeemed!

(Sorry for the blood in the photo)