deeperthanwar

I've been asked by a good friend of mine to write an article for a magazine in the UK.  It's aimed at youth and young adults, most of whom are not Christians.  The aim of the magazine is to show what it really means to be a follower of Jesus.   Here's what I came up with; let me know what you think...

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I've had quite a few jobs.
I've flipped burgers at McDonald's.  I've poured pints in a nightclub.  I've stacked shelves at the Co-Op.  I've even made the perfect espresso at Starbucks.  
But that's all behind me now.  I'm all grown up.  I have a wife and a daughter.  So I work in a steady, sensible job.  You know the sort of thing - get older, settle down.  Can you guess what I do?
 
I'm a tattoo artist.
 
So, how did I end up doing this, you ask.  Well, the funny thing is that I believe God gave me the idea.
See, I'm not only a husband and a father.  I'm not only an artist.  More than anything, I'm a follower of Jesus Christ.  A Christian.  Some years ago I made a decision to trust God with my life.  I asked him what He wanted me to do.  And the strange thing is, that I ended up as a tattoo artist.
 
For some people, that might sound like something God would never tell someone to do.  Isn't even getting a tattoo against the rules for a Christian?
 
The thing is, though, that Jesus isn't about rules.  In fact, he's totally against them.  
When Jesus walked on the Earth, he broke pretty much every rule that the religious leaders of his time held to be important.  He healed people on the Day of Rest.  He chose followers who weren't considered clever or holy enough to be Holy Men.  He even hung out with criminals, tax collectors and prostitutes.  The outcasts of the day.
You know why?  Because Jesus cares about relationship.  He wants to know us personally.  Even if that challenges what we might think about Him.
 
And that's why he led me to be a tattoo artist.  Not because he thinks that tattoos are right for everybody. And not only because He wants me to enjoy the creative gifts He gave me. But because as an artist, I get to talk to a lot of people, one on one.  I get to form relationship with them.  I get the opportunity to tell them about how Jesus has changed my life; about how he changes my life all the time.  Not only that, but the fact that I am a follower of Jesus and a tattoo artist challenges what people think of Him.  Which is what He wants.
 
And maybe, just maybe, because I love tattooing.  And God loves me.