Back in March, I made a decision to permanently mark my left wrist with a tattoo that says “Faith, Grace, Love”. Since then there have been absolutely no regrets but I cannot count the number of times people have asked me why and how I chose these three words. Well, here’s my answer:
Faith: I once heard “the opposite of ‘to worry’ is ‘to have faith.” I love that concept more than words can say. When human nature brings me into a worrying state about what I should do with my job, my health, my non-existent love life and even about my family and friends…I throw the worry into faith. My faith is grounded in the Christian religion and I believe that the Lord is watching over me, has a plan for me and His will shall happen whether I worry or not. For the things that do not kill me make me stronger.
Grace: Grace is an action and a mindset that I have been blessed with in my life. The Lord does not give us what is “fair.” If He gave us what was “fair” we would all be living in a world of insurmountable pain, torture and heartbreak for the sins we have committed and the regrets we must live with. Instead, He gives us grace which is undeserved forgiveness. To be human is to err but I have tried (not always successfully) in many circumstances and many tough situations in my life to give those around me the same type of grace the Lord has given me. An eye-for-and-eye doesn’t rule my mind, but the thought of grace, kindness and forgiveness does.
Love: Are you nice to those around you? Do you love them through the good times and the bad? Do you show kindness to the traveler rushing through an airport line because they’re about to miss their flight or do you get angry and remind them there’s a policy to follow? Do you throw angry glares or actions toward another driver when you’re cut off on the highway? Little things like this boggle me. Why, as humans, are we so quick to anger and yet so slow to love? Why do relationships start with games rather than open talks? I wish that we all took a little more time to understand a person’s history, circumstances and current situation before judging them, turning to anger or choosing not to love them in the most purest form: through kindness.
“Faith, Grace and Love” act as a constant reminder of how I want to live my life, how I want to be with those people around me and how I want to be remembered. As mentioned a few times, I am far from perfect and do not succeed with these concepts each and every time, but luckily each day is a new day and I get to try again. May you be blessed to remember and live out these concepts during each new day as well.
