Engraved

Recently, I saw a post by a friend that referred to a tattoo that once was a sign of promise but now was just a big mistake.   I'm not sure if it was a name or a symbol, but whatever my friend had once had tattooed on her hand, she now covered up with a ring.   She no longer wanted it there.   What was once very dear, was now covered up, hidden so as not to remind her of what once was.  

My friend's post came back to me as I read my Bible this morning.  "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?   Though she may forget, I will not forget you!   See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."   Isaiah 49:15, 16

I have another friend who struggles with self-worth.   Although this person is a Christian, they never feel like they are good enough to be loved by a righteous God.   Even though they've repented and have changed, in the back of their mind remains the thought that they have just done too many bad things and can never be completely forgiven.  It is a fear many of us face, that we are simply unloveable.

My late husband's mother was a very sweet mother-in-law.   She passed away just a few months before we learned of Jeff's cancer.   In her latter days, alzheimers ravished her mind in a way that was heartbreaking to all her loved her.   Jeff and his mom were very close.   For the first eight years of his life his dad was away in the military, so it was just Jeff and his mom.   They formed a bond that few could understand.

I will never forget the day that she forgot him.   It was perhaps the most broken I had seen him up to that point.   Shirley (Jeff's mom) had what the medical staff around her referred to as "Sundowners".   It is a form of Alzheimers that primarily affects a patient in the latter hours of the day.   The person may be cognizant in the morning, but by late afternoon, they can't remember people who are dearest to them.  

Because we lived hundreds of miles away, we were not aware how severe this condition could be.   We had heard from other family members how sad it was, but we really thought she would always remember Jeff.   That day we went to the nursing home around 10 in the morning.   We were visiting for the weekend and wanted to spend as much time as possible with her while we were there.    We walked in the room and she called each of us by name...Whew! She remembered us!   Perhaps family had misunderstood her symptoms after all.   She talked with us for the next several hours, dozing here and there.   She seemed tired but fine overall.

Then, around 3:30 in the afternoon, she looked over at Jeff and jumped.   Who was this strange man in her room?   It was heart breaking to watch as my mother-in-law, who I knew deeply loved her son, could not remember this child she gave birth to.   Thankfully, her lapse in memory only lasted until the next morning and she could remember him again.

So when I read this passage of scripture, I understand that yes, it is possible for a mother to forget her child that she loves.   I also know that it is possible to write something on your hand that you later regret.   But when I hear the term the writer uses here to describe the level of devotion God has to His children, I am in awe.    The scripture says, "See I have engraved you in the palm of my hand."

Engraved.   When I hear that term, I think "carved", so God has "carved" my name on His hands?   Yes, He did, and He did it with rusty nails!   You see, as He engraved my name on His hands, He was forgiving my sins.   It's a concept that is almost too large for my mind to comprehend.   But what I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that Christ, who knew no sin, took my sin and forgave it and that as they nailed Him to a cross, my name (and yours) was engraved on His hands.   Unlike my friend, Christ doesn't regret this engraving...it was the purpose He came to Earth for.  

So the next time Satan tries to tell you that you've been too bad, that you are unlovable, or that you've been forgotten, you just remind him that you've been ENGRAVED on your Savior's hand!