July 21
Marked
for Life
"Do not cut your bodies to mourn for the dead. Do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord."
Leviticus 19:28, NIrV
The neon sign buzzed faintly as Jude and Austin stepped into the tattoo parlor. The place smelled of antiseptic and ink, and the walls were covered in bold, intricate designs. They had spent the past month backpacking through Europe, and now, on their last night in Amsterdam, they wanted something permanent—a tattoo to remember the trip.
“This is it, man,” Austin grinned, flipping through a binder of designs. “Something small, something meaningful.”
Jude nodded, but his excitement wavered. At first, getting a tattoo seemed like the perfect way to capture the experience. But something gnawed at him. His grandmother had once told him that the Bible spoke against marking the body. He had brushed it off then, but now, standing here, he felt uneasy.
“You good?” Austin asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Jude muttered, though doubt still lingered. He ran his fingers over his wrist, imagining the ink there forever.
“What about this one?” Austin pointed to a minimalist design of a mountain range. “Symbolizes the journey.”
Jude hesitated. He wanted to say yes, to join Austin in this moment. But deep down, a voice whispered that this wasn’t right for him. Was it just guilt? Or was it God nudging him?
“Give me a sec,” he said, stepping outside. The cool night air hit him, and he took a deep breath. “God,” he whispered, “I don’t want to make a mistake. Show me what to do.”
A memory surfaced—his grandfather, regretting his own tattoo remembered the verse from Leviticus he had read aloud. "Do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord." Jude exhaled. He had always tried to follow his own way, but maybe it was time to trust God’s wisdom over his own desires.
Austin found him a few minutes later. “So? You in?”
Jude shook his head. “I think I’m gonna pass.”
Austin shrugged. “Your choice, man.”
But as they walked away, Jude felt something unexpected—peace. He had chosen to listen to God, even when it was hard. And that was a mark that would last forever.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for guiding me when I face tough decisions.
Help me to trust Your wisdom over my own desires.
Give me the courage to stand firm in my faith, even when others don’t understand.
Let my life reflect my devotion to You, not the world.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
