postaday

Meaning in Ink

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Except for what peeks out from my upper arms when I’m wearing short sleeves, most of my inked real-estate lies beneath my shirt. My first tattoo was an eagle on my upper right arm. Around four years later I got a dragon that covered the left side of my chest and upper arm. Some time after that I added a tiger on the other side. The scene under the tiger resembles a rocky mountain with trees and a waterfall. It looks as though the tiger could have traveled from out of the landscape below it. Looking at my chest head on, it looks like the dragon and tiger could be joined in a conflict. I suppose there are all sorts of interesting psychological implications one could draw, but frankly I just think it all looks cool.

Now, on to the tattoo represented in the photo above. This is the first tattoo I’ve gotten that is easily seen without my having to remove my shirt. The reactions of everyone except my family or close friends when they heard about or saw my previous tattoos were universally the same: “You don’t seem like the sort of person who would have tattoos.” Really, it has been funny how little that response has varied. Apparently my persona is very straight laced and the tattoos just don’t fit the impression people form when they meet me. The tattoo you see in the photo is on the inside of my right arm. I put it there because the inside of my arm isn’t as hairy as the outside, so it’s a better canvas. But probably the biggest reason I had it inked there is so people will see it and make comments. I want it to provoke a conversation. I gave my life to Christ in my teens, but later on, as an adult, I allowed my relationship with Jesus Christ to lose its high priority in my life. When I rededicated my life to the Lord I began looking for ways to share that. This tattoo is both a symbol of my love for God and a witnessing tool. It is both an outward manifestation of my belief and a way to start conversations. The symbol of the cross represents Christ’s ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sins, so that we may have everlasting life. The sword represents the reverence I have for the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

For more tattoo posts and pictures featured in today’s Daily Prompt, click here

© Joel Tipple
355

If you work at it…

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If you work at it hard enough
you can find seven things wrong with you
at the expense of the one thing that’s right.

If you commit thoroughly to the cause
you’ll ignore that encouraging word
and instead find a way to start a fight.

If you just devote yourself
you can undermine the faith
someone dear helped you find.

With focused effort you can avoid
seeing the strengths God gave you
because it’s easier to remain blind.

You can put in the work to be amazing
or you can work just as hard to be not.
God uses those you might least expect
when they say yes to what they’ve got.

© Joel Tipple
354

Falling Forward

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If walking is falling forward
then what do we mean by fall?
There are so many kinds;
how do we keep track of them all?

There’s the falling that can cause injury,
as when falling off a roof.
Even a short fall can be catastrophic,
let’s say you tumble off your stoop.
A fall from grace is the fodder for news.
Those stories make me sad, but I’m seldom amused.

Falling in love is easy.
With the right person, love can stay new.
I’m blessed that way, that I fell to stay,
and so happy she fell for me too.

© Joel Tipple
353

Thinking Thanks

A day of Thanksgiving is great,
but what about the rest of the year?
One day isn’t nearly enough.
It’s a drop in the bucket, I fear.
So consider that today was practice,
and spend more time getting it right.
A good start would be to thank God for His grace,
then to seek His direction and light.

© Joel Tipple
352

The Eve of Thanksgiving

On the Eve of Thanksgiving,
we’re grateful in advance
for the family and friends
who will share our repast.
Because it’s not so much
that with turkey we’re smitten,
but rather the fact we all gather bidden,
to enjoy the bounty with which we are blessed
and remember those loved ones from Thanksgivings past.

© Joel Tipple
351

Warriors Forgive

Forgiveness is not for the weak of will, it’s for the warrior,
who knows well the battleground of his mind.
Each day he puts on his best armor,
choosing what to set free and what to bind.
A warrior is not mastered by bitter hate
that seeks to dominate and make subservient his will.
Instead he emulates his Savior, Jesus Christ,
the warrior who gave all on Calvary’s hill.
If we ever choose instead the wrong path
and install ourselves as judge
we will find ourselves the prisoner
instead of being freed by the warrior’s love.

© Joel Tipple
350

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (NIV)
Colossians 3:13

Fair Weather?

Okay, so it isn’t fair.
But it’s no reason not to share.
I’m feeling ebullient,
so there.

God blessed us with sun
in November.
So to be thankful for
it’s just one thing more
and I’ll pray for those
on challenging shores.

© Joel Tipple
349

Moving Forward

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind
and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

A mind held to the past
lacks the energy to engage in the now
and what will be.
Endless replaying of foibles and feeble missteps
serves up little more than mud splattered fenders.
God rewards those who seek Him
and a great veil is lifted from our eyes
when we come to accept the freedom gained from surrender.

© Joel Tipple
348

Pair-a-Docks

My life was once a pair-a-docks
These days I wear jeans instead
They hang upon the bedpost nearest to my head
They go best with my boots
and like all the shirts they’ve met
I’ve had ’em a while and they make me smile
so I guess I’ll wear jeans instead

© Joel Tipple
347

Right?

Must you always
be right?
In your lust to win the argument
does your care for another’s mind
take flight?
Reflect on flexing muscles
which could deliver nuclear night.
A gentle wrath turning word
has greater longevity
you’ll find.

© Joel Tipple
346