Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Until the Very End

A year or two ago my husband told me that my 40th birthday present would be the tattoo I've been talking about for years.

Really, I've wanted a tattoo for a long time, but I couldn't decide what I would want to have permanently inscribed on my body. For about the last 18 months the same phrase has been stuck in my head and I'm positive of what and where my tattoo will be.

I want four simple words on the inside of my wrist, tattooed so I can read them when I look down. The four words are "until the very end"

"Until the very end" is actually a quote from one of my favorite books series, Harry Potter. In book seven, as Harry faces death head on, he is surrounded by the formed memories of his closest family. They promise to stay with him until the very end, until the event he fears is over and done.



I love, love, love the image of heading into a situation you fear knowing that you have the support of your family. Part of the reason I want the tattoo is for that very reason. To be reminded that my family and friends, who live far and wide, are with me whenever I go off to the scary places in life. Those places could be big or small, but scary is scary and being a visual person I would get great comfort from that visual reminder.

There is another reason that I want those words tattooed on my body. For me it is a reminder that God is with me all the time as well. God says "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" Matthew 28:20. Time and time again, God reminds me that He is with me, in good times and in hard times.

Due to family genetics, I've thought more about the end of my life than most people. The reason I want those words on my wrist and not a more hidden location is so that no matter what state my body is in, as long as I can see, I can see those words and be reminded that I have a God that is with me until the very end. He will never leave me. He will comfort me in all my troubles.

Now, I'm still two years or so away from that magic age of 40, but I've got scary things on the horizon. Scary doesn't mean bad, even good things can cause fear. Over the next few months as we pack our house and start again in a new city, the words "until the very end" will give me comfort, because the people who love me will be walking with me every step of the way.