Psalm 33 - Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
for praise from the upright is beautiful.
"What do you think?" she asked me. I looked down at my hand and tilted it slightly, to see the entire pattern. A beautiful flower wound up my wrist, adorned with petals, dots, and swirls.
"Beautiful! I love it!" I replied happily. It was my first time getting a henna tattoo, and Becca had done an amazing job. I've always admired artistic people, especially those who can pick up a brush, a pencil, or a camera, and create magic. This definitely fell under that category.
It had been a perfect girls' night, with cooking, chai tea, watching a movie, and just being with a group of my closest girlfriends. This artwork was the icing on the cake. One of my friends rose and left the living room, returning a moment later with a damp piece of tissue. "Here, what you do is you blot the ink with a wet cloth, and that lets the ink get more moisture and spread out more on your skin." I took the tissue from her and blotted gently, afraid it might smear the ink. The design was already starting to crack, and I was afraid it wouldn't last the night. Would there be any evidence it was there in the first place?
After everyone had left a few hours later, I cleaned up a bit and headed for the bathroom to wash my hands. I tried to be careful and avoid the ink, but it started chipping almost immediately.
A sudden sadness was replaced immediately by surprise and delight. "Oh!!" As the dark brown goo washed off my skin, the design lingered underneath in a faint pattern. The flower remained. The petals remained. The dots and swirls lingered! The evidence of Becca's handiwork was still there!
I immediately thought of the people we surround ourselves with - or rather, the people God puts in our lives. Each and every person we come in contact with leaves an imprint on us. Sometimes it's a harsh jagged line, sometimes it's a tiny dot that no one else can see, and sometimes it's a vibrant beautiful pattern that stays with us as a constant reminder of the time we spent with them, and the joy that followed. When we get "inked," so to speak, the rough exterior of our design is chipped away by our Maker over time, revealing a gorgeous pattern underneath. And we change. We grow. We learn to appreciate the impact that others have had on us, because God uses different relationships to shape who we are.
Life is beautiful. God is faithful. What imprint are you leaving on the people around you?
