Marked For Life

T

he expression, “He’s a marked man!” took on new meaning for me as I made my way from the classroom building to the parking lot.  As I made my way through the throng of students eagerly heading away from class, I couldn’t help but notice one student in particular.  He was a good distance away from me but I had no difficulty picking him out from among his peers.  It wasn’t that he was taller than they, he wasn’t.  It had nothing to do with his clothes; they were pretty much standard fare for a college student.  His hair was neatly trimmed, and he was clean shaven.  What caught my eye, however, was the fact that both of his arms were colorfully decorated by several tattoos. 

Now, seeing a tattoo is nothing new and it doesn’t carry the shock value in our society that it once did.  After living two years in Europe, not much shocks me anymore, especially in the way of body décor.  Anyway, as this young man continued walking towards me, it became obvious that the girl walking next to him had staked her claim.  Her name took up most of his right arm and some other pictures and slogans decorated his left.  With one glance, it became very apparent as to where this young man’s loyalties lay.

As I continued towards my car, I couldn’t stop reflecting on what I had just seen.  All during my drive from Arlington to Fort Worth, I kept replaying the vision of that young man and the tattoos he had emblazoned on his skin.  I didn’t remember the exact pictures or slogans on his left arm, but the name of his girlfriend sticks out in my mind.  She was a permanent part of his life and everywhere he went, whether she was with him or not, he bore testimony to his feelings for her.

I began looking over my own arms.  They are free from marks of any kind and bear no evidence that I’ve been anywhere remotely near a tattoo parlor.  Yet, my life bears marks just the same and ones that speak more loudly than anything affixed to my body.  I claim to be a Christian, but do my actions show it?  Do my words give evidence of my relationship with Jesus Christ?  Do my actions tell of my loyalty to him?  Does my attitude tell others far away that I belong to Christ?  If someone were to follow me would I go anywhere that I shouldn’t and do anything that would betray my claim to be a follower of Jesus?

Like it or not, we are all marked.  The question is, “Whose mark are we displaying?”  There are really only two choices we can make.  We either bear the mark of Christ, or we bear the mark of the world.  We cannot bear both!  The marks that distinguish a Christian stem from spending time with God, reading his word, obeying his commands, and living a life that is holy and pleasing to him.  This puts us at odds with the rest of the world and should cause us to stick out in the crowd, much like the young man with tattoos all over his arms.

The Apostle Paul described such a mark in his letter to the church at Ephesus.  In Ephesians 1:13, he writes, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” So, according to Paul, from the moment we heard the truth and accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we all became marked men and women. 

Today, is there outward evidence of Christ’s inward presence in our lives?  When people see us, do they see Jesus?  Can they distinguish us from among our peers because we wear his name proudly and boldly for the entire world to see?  Are we living as marked people today?