Tattoos represent a variety of meanings. They could signify a spiritual ideal, cultural belonging, or a need for recognition. Whether it’s for art, beauty, memories, or connections, they all blur together a symbols on the body’s surface.
Scars can also be on the body, although they are normally a sign of a painful wound or surgery. My scars from an open-heart surgery were not desired but necessary. There are also scars on a person’s heart or mind resulting from an exceptionally traumatic experience. These scars almost always subconsciously dramatically change how a person responds or the trajectory of one’s life. When this is the case, it grants a new level of respect for that person and what they say.
Despite writing many books in the New Testament and achieving great things, the apostle Paul faced challenges to his authority and authenticity. What means did he use to authenticate his unwavering commitment to Christ? In closing his letter to the Galatians, he wrote, from now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus (Galatians 6:17, NLT2). If his sufferings for Christ could not convince them, nothing could. He finished his letter to the believers at Colossae with these words: HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. Remember my chains (Colossians 4:18, NLT2). His references to his sufferings were not pleas for sympathy; they were his claims to authority, the guarantees of his right to speak and be heard. It is as if he said, “This letter is not from someone who does not know what an apprentice to Christ means. Nor is it from someone who is asking others to do what he is not prepared to do himself. He has left us many memorials of his devotion to Christ—letters, travels, sermons, miracles—but he left nothing greater than his chains, the symbol of his sufferings, for Christ’s sake.
This is the Paul who wrote these profound and telling words. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified (past tense) the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24, ESV). It is true Christ was crucified for each of us, but the cross wasn’t just something Jesus did for us; it’s also something we do with him. Paul also wrote of his personal involvement by writing I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20, ESV). When we humbly surrender our independence and entitlement mentality to follow Christ, God’s Spirit alters our thinking and desires. This alteration is as profound as the effects of a trauma. When prophetically describing salvation, Ezekiel wrote God’s inspired words, I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations (Ezekiel 36:27, NLT2). That change in desires is nothing short of a miracle. Paul wrote it this way. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him (Philippians 2:13, NLT2). That is far more than the effects of glibly saying a prayer! It changes one’s life trajectory when a prayer reflects the conviction of the heart.
This begs the question each of us must ask ourselves. Is my commitment to Christ more like a tattoo or does it actively reflect a scar in my heart? Is there enough evidence of my commitment to Christ that those around me sense some form of a traumatic spiritual experience has changed me? When such evidence reflects a hope to help another person respect or desire a deeper relationship with Christ, the joy and fulfillment are beyond description.