Go Boldly

A few years ago I had the word "fearless" tattooed at the nape of my neck. It's usually covered up by my hair but I know it is there which is what I was most concerned with. I figured if I had the word tattooed on me then I would be more inclined to feel fearless. About a year and a half ago, I sat in my therapist's office, crying to her telling her that I must be the least fearless person on the planet and how could that possibly be since I have the word tattooed on my body?! She offered up the suggestion that perhaps I needed to have it somewhere I could see it. I'm not sure she was serious about that, but I took her at face value and the following week I showed up with an identical "fearless" tattoo on the inside my left wrist.

I tell you, that was like magic. It was a constant reminder every time I looked at my wrist...oh yeah, feel the fear, do it anyway. While it merely serves as a reminder, it has been significant for me and has helped to remind me who I am on many occasions.

A year ago, I got another tattoo on the inside of my right wrist..."bold." I'm not a huge fan of tattoos
but after I put fearless on my wrist and realized what a significant impact it made on me, I decided to make use of the blank space on my right wrist. The words don't mean anything or make sense to anyone who doesn't know me and know the story behind why I have them. They serve one purpose and one purpose only - to remind me of who I am and whose I am.

Hebrews 4:16 says "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God." It doesn't say "approach with caution." It doesn't say "come if you think you are worthy." It says come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. Don't be timid. Do not be fearful, be fearless and bold when you approach the throne. This scripture really resonated with me and spoke deep into my heart.

I had messed it up. Big time. Who hasn't, right? For so much of my life, I was certain that I had messed it up way too much for God to accept me. But according to this verse, I was supposed to approach the throne boldly. This was a completely new idea for me...and I liked it. It gave me hope. Hebrews 4:16 goes on..."There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."

He wants to give us His mercy and grace and He doesn't want us to be timid in approaching Him to receive it. He wants us to come boldly. It's easy to lose sight of that, especially when we make mistakes every day that we need His grace for. It's easy to forget that he desires for us to come boldly before the throne to receive the gifts of mercy and grace when we need it most. On my bad days and my good days, I just look at my wrist and I remember...go boldly to the throne and receive His mercy and grace.