Set me as a seal.

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave.
Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame.
Song of Sol. 8:6


So I finally did it. I've been talking about getting a tattoo for quite a while and just never had the courage to go through with it...the pain involved I meant.

I'm going to be honest with you guys here. For a very long time I felt very unloved by the Lord. I KNEW He loved me, but I always felt like it was a forced love because He HAD to, not cause He wanted to. Or that He loved me because I was Luke's wife and because Luke is always pursuing Him. There have been moments in my life where I believed and trusted that He loved me for me...but never anything consistent. The past couple of months He's been reshaping my feelings on the matter. Something I read very recently really helped solidify my confidence in His love for me.

I would like for you to pause and think of the most horrible day you ever lived. The day when you did something you deeply regret. You can take great comfort in this one fact: Your heavenly Father saw that day when He chose you in His Son before time. He saw you and He saw me live our most regrettable moment on that non-day before time he He chose us in Christ to be part of His much-loved bride. What a wonderful Lord. If that's not good news, I don't know what is.
(And paraphrased 1st John 1:1-3 and 4:16-19...This is the apostle John talking.)

I have seen, touched, and experienced the love of God in Jesus Christ. I loved with Him for almost 4 years. My knowledge of this glorious One was born out of first hand experience. I tasted the love that He had for me. It was unflinching. I was flooded and consumed by it. As a result, I found no power to resist the loveliness of this glorious Person. So I cannot but love Him. He has captured my heart and possessed my being. His love is all-consuming, and it has ruined me. As far as I can tell, I'm the Lord's favorite. He loves me more then anyone else.

And getting back to the matter I started off with...this scripture reminds me that His love for His bride(me, and the rest of the body of Christ) is ALL consuming. Its so devastating that its stronger then death. It goes on to say further down in the verses that running waters cannot quench it. I have set my seal upon my arm. For I know His love for me....and I cannot help but love him back because of it.

We love Him because He first loved us.
John 4:19

Enjoy the pictures. It wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be, though it wasn't fun or enjoyable at all...haha..