I recently had a conversation with someone who told me they
were concerned that I was posting Tupac quotes and Bible scriptures. She raised further concern that having tattoos
can confuse the youth I work with about what living and being holy looks like.
This raised a concern with me and it also made me think. Way
before I ever stepped foot into a church or opened a bible I heard so many
stories from people who felt disqualified from God before they ever met him for
themselves. I am not quite sure we understand just how dangerous and heartbreaking
this is.
The bigger issue is that when I talk to people in my
generation and the generation coming up under me is that this is the main
reason they step away from church because they were already exposed to this
type of thinking. I mentor and work with
youth daily and so many of them feel like their music choice, life choices,
clothing, etc. keep them away from God and it is only when they FIX themselves that
they will be accepted. Nothing makes me angrier to be honest. Instead of
preaching the love of God we make people feel they must meet certain qualifications
to even have a conversation with him.
Whenever I am standing in front of a room full of youth in a
juvenile detention center, prison or any other environment; my goal is to
radiate love but to do so in a transparent way. No one can tell me that if I listen
to hip hop or have a tattoo that I am not competent to talk on this subject. So
many of us have an identity crisis because we don’t fit into what other people
think we should be like.
I learned a long time ago that people will always have a box
to put you in, it is what makes them comfortable. But for the love of God,
please understand what this is doing to people. I am strong enough to let
certain comments roll of my back, but what about the people who are not? What
about the young kid with a hard background who would now believe he has no
chance with God? Leaders, please think about this.
I am not here to say that the love of God doesn’t shape and
change us, or that we shouldn’t be aware or conscious of the kind of things we
put into our spirit because that is VERY important. But this kind of judgment
robs people from getting to know God for themselves. It also robs us from
getting to know people and from hearing their story. This lady will never know
about all the amazing things God has done for me because she got too caught up
in my tattoos. We force people into believing God is looking down on us shaking
his head and pointing a finger instead of loving us, and THAT IS WRONG. God
does bring correction, but he LOVES US FIRST.
I guard my ears, I am wise with my decisions, and have
certain beliefs. But I can say that when I was first introduced to God I was terrified
that my iPod playlist was going to keep me out of the gates of heaven, that my
tattoos means I was “marked with sin” and that I would always have to apologize
or explain away every life choice I had made prior to knowing God. The truth of
the matter is Gods love radiates past ALL of this. Past images, mistakes, music
choices etc. THAT is the God I believe in and the one I talk about.
I am not trying to raise a debate, this is about how many
people we miss out connecting with because we decide they don’t look like, sound
like, or act like what we want. I am not
diluting who God is or the standards he wants us to uphold. But I am saying that
I have led people to God and met them where they are at with my half sleeve, Tupac
playlist, and a bible. And I will never
apologize for that.
