When the cashier handed me change at a convenience store, the Holy Spirit made sure that I saw the tattoo on her hand. It was a small cross.
“Is that a cross?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ve had it on my hand since I was 14 years old.”
“Does that mean that you are a follower of Jesus?”
“Yes,” she said, but looked around nervously.
Nobody was behind me and only a young man who was a co-worker was distracted with a stocking task. Tina’s name badge also said “manager.”
“In China,” I said, “Some Christians take a ballpoint pen and each morning and they draw a small cross right where you put your tattoo. Did you know that?”
“That’s pretty cool,” she said and smiled.
“It serves as a reminder that they are to live for Christ in all they do and to tell others about him.”
And then I added, “Now you can use it to tell others about your faith in Christ.”
As I turned to leave, I looked back and saw her co-worker asking about our conversation. Through the closed door I saw her holding up her hand. She was clearly explaining the meaning of the cross, probably for the first time in a long time.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of our earlier commitments to be a witness for Christ. At one point, Tina’s zeal for the Lord drove her to tat a small cross right where her thumb and forefinger came together on her right hand.
Everyone needs to hear the good news about Jesus – whether in China or a convenience store in Missouri. And placing reminders, such as a cross, before others is a great way to strike up a spiritual conversation that is natural and personal.
Now, before I get in trouble, let me say that I am not in favor of tattoos as a general rule. However, I am quick to discuss body art. They endured a lot of pain to have it inked into their skin. Some of it has religious connotations. And it’s out there to address.
If you’d like to sport your own emblem, the Lord led me to a designer who provided a work of art that has an Icthus “fish,” a fisherman’s hook, and they form a heart. It’s to remind us to tell others about Christ, make them fishers of men, and do it not out of duty, but out of love. It sticks on your car bumper, refrigerator, tackle box… wherever you want!
If you’d like a “Fishers of Men” car emblem, be among the first 250 to respond and I’ll send you one for free. Just be sure to give me your mailing address. Offer for members of Missouri Baptist Convention churches only and expires in one month from the publishing date. (Mark Snowden may be contacted at (573) 645-3223 or msnowden@mobaptist.org.)