okay so facebook, twitter, social media, blogs are all about portraying the best self one can be correct?..
well, when I set out to create this humble blog of mine, I said to myself it would be a "baul de recuerdos" a trunk of memories or souvenirs. I had the intention of being real or at least as real as one can get in social media. I wanted to make a record of the highs and lows of life in particular as they relate to traveling.
so even though I want to blog about the awesome places this world has to offer, the amazing people I have encountered in my travels, today I feel like writing about a little darker trip. I'm talking about a half a mile trip I took from my house to Ink*land.. That's right. The time had come to get a bit more ink in my body….why so?
in the book of Joshua chapter 4, after God had parted the Jordan he asks Joshua to get twelve stones and put them in the place where they were to camp out. The Israelites asked what for?. and Joshua responded something like "so when your children ask what are these stones for, you might tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord"
Different commentators and theologians might have different opinions on the significance of these stones, but I believe it was God's idea to help the Israelites with their short-term memory problem. This theme of "remembrance" is consistent over and over especially in the old testament. God's people being delivered and God's people forgetting about it. what does the story of Joshua have to do with my rainy Seattle day, grunge music in the background, soppy post?… well you see, I suffer from the same short term memory problem.
2012 has been a year of great challenges. I have encountered a level of adversity that I had never experienced before. Both spiritually and emotionally.
so over the past few weeks I've been thinking about previous years and previous seasons of pain and suffering, and I can see so much purpose in those trials. I don't know why is it that is so easy to look back at previous trials and so damn hard to look forward?
so to help me with this short-term memory problem of mine(at least in a tiny, tiny way) I decided to get a triquetra… a what you say?..a triquetra..I've only met one person that knew what I was talking about when I said Triquetra. if you are one of those people that actually know what a triquetra is, I'm very, very impressed…
A triquetra is basically three abstract triangles coming together as one. In history, triangles have represented enlightenment or getting closer to God (hence the pyramids) and for me, coming together as one is the perfect representation of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit… but why have needles cut your skin to "build" this "memorial"?
well, because my heart is fickle, because I still want to complain, and sometimes run away from Him. because I need thee under my skin, into my heart, into my inner most part of my body.
so there you have it, whether you think tattoos are tacky, white trash, cool, stupid... I think they need to have a story and that is mine. Maybe if I get to be old and wrinkly, and my grand kids will ask me what is that weird drawing in grandpa's arm, I might regret the soggy looking dot (I'm assuming the triquetra will get lost between my wrinkles :) at least I will be able to look them in the eye and say "because God is always faithful"
and now REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER!
well, when I set out to create this humble blog of mine, I said to myself it would be a "baul de recuerdos" a trunk of memories or souvenirs. I had the intention of being real or at least as real as one can get in social media. I wanted to make a record of the highs and lows of life in particular as they relate to traveling.
so even though I want to blog about the awesome places this world has to offer, the amazing people I have encountered in my travels, today I feel like writing about a little darker trip. I'm talking about a half a mile trip I took from my house to Ink*land.. That's right. The time had come to get a bit more ink in my body….why so?
in the book of Joshua chapter 4, after God had parted the Jordan he asks Joshua to get twelve stones and put them in the place where they were to camp out. The Israelites asked what for?. and Joshua responded something like "so when your children ask what are these stones for, you might tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord"
Different commentators and theologians might have different opinions on the significance of these stones, but I believe it was God's idea to help the Israelites with their short-term memory problem. This theme of "remembrance" is consistent over and over especially in the old testament. God's people being delivered and God's people forgetting about it. what does the story of Joshua have to do with my rainy Seattle day, grunge music in the background, soppy post?… well you see, I suffer from the same short term memory problem.
2012 has been a year of great challenges. I have encountered a level of adversity that I had never experienced before. Both spiritually and emotionally.
so over the past few weeks I've been thinking about previous years and previous seasons of pain and suffering, and I can see so much purpose in those trials. I don't know why is it that is so easy to look back at previous trials and so damn hard to look forward?
so to help me with this short-term memory problem of mine(at least in a tiny, tiny way) I decided to get a triquetra… a what you say?..a triquetra..I've only met one person that knew what I was talking about when I said Triquetra. if you are one of those people that actually know what a triquetra is, I'm very, very impressed…
A triquetra is basically three abstract triangles coming together as one. In history, triangles have represented enlightenment or getting closer to God (hence the pyramids) and for me, coming together as one is the perfect representation of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit… but why have needles cut your skin to "build" this "memorial"?
well, because my heart is fickle, because I still want to complain, and sometimes run away from Him. because I need thee under my skin, into my heart, into my inner most part of my body.
so there you have it, whether you think tattoos are tacky, white trash, cool, stupid... I think they need to have a story and that is mine. Maybe if I get to be old and wrinkly, and my grand kids will ask me what is that weird drawing in grandpa's arm, I might regret the soggy looking dot (I'm assuming the triquetra will get lost between my wrinkles :) at least I will be able to look them in the eye and say "because God is always faithful"
and now REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER!
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