I don\u2019t know why I feel the urge to do something adventurous when milestone birthdays come around. But sixty-five is here and I decided I wanted to get more out of it than Medicare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ziplining was my choice and my husband joined me in the adventure recently while in the North Carolina mountains. Highlands Aerial Park was great but it wasn\u2019t the big rush I expected\u2014not like skydiving five years ago. I guess stepping out of an airplane at 14,500 feet was a bit more dangerous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wanted a real challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I got a new tattoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tattoos on my back have been with me for years and since I can\u2019t see them, I forget about them. I decided I wanted one I could see, one that would call something important to mind every time I looked at it. I had ihs <\/em>superimposed on a cross inscribed on my right arm. I want Jesus to be in the forefront of my thoughts and to be reminded that all I am and do should be for Him. He is my Creator, Savior, Healer, and Redeemer. He is my Source of joy and peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But getting the tattoo was anything but a peaceful experience. As kind as artist Eli was, the drawing he did on my arm hurt like the dickens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t like needles (as my doctor\u2019s nurse can testify) and I don\u2019t like pain. Getting my earlier tattoos was painful enough to take my breath away but as with childbirth, the memory faded with time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like the results of getting tattooed. The cross and the word forgiven<\/em> on my back have meaning for me. I\u2019ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb who allowed Himself to hang on a cross for my sin. And now, the ihs, <\/em>a combination of letters that represents Jesus, Savior of Mankind<\/em>, <\/em>will constantly prompt me to focus my life on Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tattoo needle felt like a knife slicing my arm, one slow stroke at a time. I didn\u2019t cry, but was taut as a board and scarcely able to breathe. I squeezed the life out of friend Michelle\u2019s hand, which had to make her question her offer to come along for moral support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli told me it would be less painful if I relaxed. Yeah, right. That\u2019s what my gynecologist always says and it\u2019s never made any difference in that office either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But to put things in perspective, my pain was nothing compared to what Jesus experienced. He had nails driven into his wrists and feet and was lifted up and roughly dropped so that the weight of his body tore at His nailed appendages. I cannot imagine. And unlike me, He had no hand to hold; He was forsaken. His own Father turned His back from the horrible sin\u2014my sin\u2014that Jesus took upon Himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m blinking back tears as I think of the sacrifice my Lord made for me. That hardly seems like a birthday celebration and yet, it is. He came and died that I might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10)<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I do! I have the freedom to be me, to do fun things, to enjoy family and friends, and to serve my community. I also have the freedom to fail and fall short, but still know I am loved and forgiven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll continue to adventure as God directs. I don\u2019t know where that might lead me but I\u2019m secure in the knowledge I\u2019m in good Hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don\u2019t know why I feel the urge to do something adventurous when milestone birthdays come around. But sixty-five is here and I decided I wanted to get more out of it than Medicare. Ziplining was my choice and my husband joined me in the adventure recently while in the North Carolina mountains. Highlands Aerial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=569"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":571,"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569\/revisions\/571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldkaren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}