Body Art

Oh the joys of having teenagers in the house! Every day I get a front row ticket to the newest ink color, the newest picture, the newest artwork that my children either draw on themselves or allow someone else to draw on them.

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Gabe is just in the beginning stages of this "body art" so his drawings aren't really drawings at all. Gabe comes home with numbers written on his hands. Occasionally he has a lightening bolt or maybe a funny face or stick person. His "art work" usually consist of black ink only.

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But, Kristina is a different story. At any given moment on any given day she will have hearts, words, names and even intricate designs. She usually has an array of colors ranging from black all the way to purple. Some designs she draws herself but the majority of the designs are drawn by friends who will one day make a living with their paintings. She naturally has the standard "I love you" written on her hand by either her boyfriend, her best friend or just a classmate who is bored and instead of writing on paper they choose to write on her skin.

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I fuss at my children every day it seems like because they walk around with this "body art." I fuss because they look like walking billboard signs and then when they bathe the ink doesn't come off so there is a faint picture of what was drawn on them that day. And, to make it look even worse they go to school and allow someone to re-draw on them so then they come home with faded drawings on them as well as new drawings. It is a never ending battle in my house.

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One year I sat down on a Friday night with alcohol scrubbing Kristina's arms and hands because the day before a pageant she decided to let all of her friends sign her arms! Can you believe that? I wanted to hurt her!!

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But, you know, that is just kids. I can remember writing on my hands (not so much my arms) when I was a kid. I can remember my Mom fussing at me and here I am 18 years later doing the exact same thing.

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As I was driving into work this morning I was thinking about my children being walking billboards and how much that gets on my nerves when I began to think about Jesus' "body art." You know, his nail scarred hands! He reaches down each and every day and touches us with those nail scarred hands and holds us up when we don't have the strength to walk, he comforts us when we are broken, and he guides us when we are lost.

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"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit." Matthew 27:50. Jesus did not die a peaceful death. He did not close his eyes and simply go to sleep. His death was painful, it was violent, it was hard, he cried! And, all of this was done for me...for you! Jesus had to pay the price for his "body art." He died on that cross for sins that had not even been committed yet! He felt the pain of every lie you and I would ever tell. He bled blood for every deception you and I created. He carries the ultimate "body art." He carries the nail scarred hands!