Always

Growing up, one thing my parents made sure to reiterate to us was the permanence of tattoos and their fairly strong disapproval of tattoos. Being one who was never fond of pain, I have never thought that I would ever voluntarily get one. Plus, my parents would probably have me burned at the stake if I ever came home with one (ok, that’s a little extreme but they would be severely disappointed in me). So when I came home with the word “always” sharpied on my wrist they were clearly not happy.

I started writing always on my wrist about two months ago. I am a second semester college freshman, and this year has been particularly more difficult, in every aspect of life. I will get into more details as this blog progresses, but for now the important thing is that the past year has brought a lot of stressful things in my life in the areas of school, family, and friends. Through it all, God has been teaching me a lot about life and trust. One of the most important things that was imparted to me was Jesus’ final promise on earth, which comes from Matthew 28:20:

Jesus says: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

This is the last thing that resurrected Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended to take his place on the throne at the right hand of God. It is a promise for each and every one of us. Jesus has always been with you, is always with you, and will always be with you.

It became something that was so important to me to remember, that I had to put it in a place where I would see it every second of every day. So that when those inevitably stressful moments arrived I could look down and remember that Jesus was right there with me, and he always would be. With the knowledge that I had Jesus with me there, something that I have always known but have not always taken the care to remember, I have found security and help in carrying the burdens of my life. With Jesus’ help, you do not have to hold on to things alone, and a great weight can be taken off of your shoulders.

I am not sure how much longer I will have the always on my wrist (although, mom and dad, don’t worry I will never get a tattoo), but what I can say confidently is that Jesus will be right here with me, always.