Before
I start, I’d like to give a forewarning to the following individuals: My dad,
either one of my grandparents, my pastor, and my beloved 2nd grade
teacher. If you’d like to keep the pure as the driven snow image of me, then this
is a good stopping point. If you’re one of the people listed above and you’d
like to throw caution to the wind, then I warn you, if you're not already
sitting-you might want to go ahead and take a seat.
Confession
time. I, Chancely Nicole Courson, have a tattoo. Yes you read that right. a
tattoo.
For
those of you who know me-this may be a shock. That may be an understatement. An
astonishment of epic proportions could be more like it. The average person
would never meet me and have me pegged as someone who would permanently mark
their body…but, they would be wrong.
I’m
still in the honeymoon stage so I still have that urge to climb to the highest
rooftop and shout it out to all who will listen, I have the desire to roll down
the car window and inform the person at the stoplight next to me that I I am
one of the newest members to join the stained skin club. I have the yearning to
tell the woman next to me in the Target checkout line, that despite my 5 foot
stature-I am quite rebellious. Since
Im sure you're on the edge of your seat, DYING to know what I chose as the
masterpiece on the canvas that is my epidermis. Fine I'll tell you. It’s a
bumble bee.
Here
are the top 5 questions I’ve been asked about my tattoo since getting it:
1.
What part of your body is it?
Right side below my collarbone.
2.
How big is it?
50 cent piece.
3.
Colored or black and white?
Black and white.
4.
Did it hurt? No.
5.
Why a bumble bee? Well that answer may take a little longer to explain. I’ll
take you back to the day I got it done.
It’s May 4th- the day after
my 21st birthday. 21 is arguably the most important birthday an
individual will ever celebrate. Usually it’s because you’re now allowed to buy
and (legally) consume alcohol. I’ve never been much of a drinker really, so
this number wouldn’t hold the significance that it did for everyone else
entering the big 2-1. I’d
always wanted a tattoo, and I figured instead of waking up the next day with a
hangover, I would rather wake up with a beautiful, sore, itchy scar of black
ink.
I’d
tried scheduling appointments several times before, but tattoo artists I've
learned are not shall we say the most…structured, organized individuals.
I
called that Wednesday afternoon and as luck would have it, there was an
opening.
When
I arrived it was painfully obvious just how much I did not belong there. Have any
of you ever seen Sesame Street? You know the segment: One of these things is not
like the other? Yeah that’s pretty accurate. As I walked in with my “Just a
cupcake lookin’ for a studmuffin” shirt, leggings and converse (incase you were
wondering I do now realize my outfit choice couldn’t have been more basic) the
smell of rubbing alcohol assaulted my nose. The bright white lights made my
eyes water and the taste of sanitizer somehow ended up in the back of my
throat. I was escorted over to an artist who had a kind smile though this was
disguised by the abundance of silver piercings covering his face. 14 to be
exact. When
I asked him his name-it couldn’t have been more appropriate. Needlez. In the
back of my mind I wondered briefly if this was his Christian name, and if it
wasn’t-what his mother thought of it.
When
Needlez got through classic questions numbers 1-4, he finally reached the 5th.
Why the bumble bee? Which is what I’m sure you’re wondering as well. If you’re
not familiar with the scientific aspect of the bumble bee then buckle up kids!
Time for a quick lesson! The
bumble bee is much larger than any other bee in size-with their substantial
physique, and thin wings it SHOULD be impossible for them to fly. Yet
somehow…they do. As a result when they fly they are a bit clumsy and quite
loud, but they stay focused on the task at hand. Collecting nectar for the hive
and most importantly, their queen. Ill be the first to admit that I am somewhat
of a ditz. I have been described as “flighty”, “clumsy”, “spacey”, “out for
lunch”, and so on… but you get the
picture. With that being said most people underestimate me. They have a
perception of me and feel that because I may take a break from the task at hand
to watch a butterfly I cant get a job done. I identify with the bumble bee
because I defy the odds. I defy expectations. I get a job done. Speaking of
defying the odds…haven’t we all been taught that with God on our side all
things are possible?
Aren’t
we all just bees working to serve and please (not our Queen but) our one true King? The body of Christ (the church) works a lot
like a beehive don’t you think? God calls us to be workers (or worker bees) (3
John 1:8) to make life sweeter for those around us-the way we accomplish this
is by doing our part to show the love and share the message of Christ to those
welcome in contact with. If you didn’t know the bumble bee only stings if it
feels threatened or you have threatened the queen or their hive. Other bees are
the same, but once their stinger is gone-they die. If a bee is more willing to
die for their queen than we are to take time during the day to pray or practice
quiet time for our King than maybe we need to reevaluate our relationship with
Christ. We could learn a lot from these precious creatures and I'm proud to have
a permanent reminder of what devotion to a higher power looks like.
I’d
like to leave you with a verse that also makes me think of my sweet bee.
“Gracious
words are like honeycombs, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”.
Proverbs
16:24
Go
out, spread gracious words and serve your King above all others.
XOXO,
Chance
PS.
if you’re a family member reading this I have a feeling when I receive a phone
call from you later. Go easy on me!
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