Zach and I had an interesting relationship. We literally grew up together. During our high school and college years, our friendship strengthened. When I came home from college, I always knew that at some point during the break I would see Zach and my two cousins Matthew and Nicole. And I always knew these moments would be a great time. During these times, Zach would often push me out of my comfort zone and convince me to do things I would not normally do or at the very least want to do. One of my favorite examples is one of the last times I saw him. We had all gone line dancing. Normally during the slow songs, we would leave the floor for a break and wait for another line dance to come on. One of last times I went line dancing Zach grabbed me and pulled me onto the floor. I was so annoyed because I wanted a break and I didn't feel like slow dancing. I am now so incredibly thankful he did this because I will treasure that moment with him forever. I never wanted to step put of my comfort zone, but also never regretted the story it gave me to tell. Zach is a major contributing factor to many of my best stories.
During that train ride, I thought about this relationship with Zach and I thought about this verse. I realized sitting on that train, the perfect way to honor his memory. I could let Zach convince me to do one last, crazy thing that was scary, maybe a little dumb, but would leave me with a great story. I decided that I needed a reminder to take chances and not be afraid now that he was no longer here to push me. I decided that I would get a tattoo of the words "Abundant Life."
Now, I fully understand that many people reading this will disagree with this action. They will see a tattoo as a means of scarring my body. They will say that a tattoo is "unchristian." They will tell me that getting a tattoo is a mistake that I will regret in the future. They will tell me that it is trashy. These voices kept me from getting my tattoo for almost two years.
However, throughout the course the past three months I realized that my tattoo would not only serve as memorial to Zach. The words "Abundant Life" would serve as a reminder to live life to the fullest. They would also remind me that God has promised me a life of JOY. In the moments when life seems hopeless and I am overwhelmed beyond reason, I could look at those words and be reminded that those feelings are only for a season. God has promised abundance to those who seek His presence.
A month ago today I finally mustered up enough courage to allow my friend to give me one last good story. Because of space, I decided to get the words "Abundant Life" in Hebrew. The Hebrew characters would remind me of my time in Israel and the closeness I felt to God in that place. This way not only would this mark remind me of God's promises, but it would also remind me to seek His presence.
For those you think that I have made a terrible decision, I respect that opinion. I hesitated for a long time, because I thought that you may be right. That this decision was based too much in emotion to be rational. However, for two years, I could not shake the desire. I have to believe that God had planted this idea and has a purpose. God has marked me to purpose in this life and this tattoo is a physical representation of that. Everyday I look at my wrist and am reminded of the friend I have lost but also of the life I should live in his memory.
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