By Shannon Perrett
Twice in the last month, I have broken one of my own personal rules and a rule I have tried to instil in my girls – I have read graffiti written in public places. Now I know that it is very rare that anything good can come from reading graffiti, a lesson that I learnt very well attending a public high school. But this graffiti really jumped out and caught my attention, not because of its artistic flair or because of the number of four letter words to be used in one sentence. It caught my attention because it spoke truth.
Last month while travelling (back in the day when we could do that kind of thing) I was in a public restroom and was just about to open the door to walk out, when some sharpie art caught my attention. Towards the very top of the door on the side of the hinge were the words “You are worthy of love”. At first this struck me as a beautiful, yet simple affirmation. But as I pondered the words I realised that were actually profound. For although we may be underserving, our God deems us as worthy. And not just worthy of love, but worthy of His life giving, merciful and restorative love. Don’t just read that and let it sink into your head, but let it sink into your heart . . . You are worthy of His love. And you don’t just have to take my word for it, as He has told us repeatedly in His.
1. Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)”
2. Psalm 86:15 – “But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”
3. John 3:16 – “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
4. Romans 5:8 – “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
The second piece of graffiti was a chalk drawing on a walking path near my house. I was out for a morning walk and as I reached an intersection in the path, I noticed that someone had taken to it with chalk. But instead of offensive words or a crude picture they had written the words “Be Kind”.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning graffiti or even the reading of it. But I was once again struck by the truth of the words and carried them with me throughout my day. They reminded me to ‘be kind’ to the supermarket worker stacking shelves and to ‘be kind’ to my husband when he showed me where he had dropped a piece of steel on the car.
So let those words speak truth to you today.
Be Kind.
And remember that God tells you,
You are worthy of love.
Shannon Perrett is a Anew Conference Team member and Speaker. She lives with her family in Mareeba where they serve with MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship).
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