Je veux mourir in French means, “I want to die.” To most people the tattoo might give away to much. At first glance it is dark, depressing, and brutally honest. But at a deeper look one might see something else… Like most things, that quote tells a story. It tells the story of one who can see past the pain and heartache of life into the world beyond. She sees the glory and splendor in eternity, and she longs for the warm, loving embrace from the King of Kings. The quote isn’t a statement requesting death, but a statement that embraces the essence of life, one that can see through the materialistic mindset of our world, and into the realm of treasures in heaven.

At first the naked eye wishes to pass judgment. “Be positive,” one might say. “Don’t be such a pessimist,” chimes another. But what these critics fail to see is the expression behind the quote. Things are never as they seem, and there is always meaning to everything, yet we still allow ourselves to judge based off of what we see on the outside. Where people see pain, sorrow, and heartache, I see beauty, resilience, and perfection through imperfection. When people accept failures, I see mistakes that serve as lessons.

To be honest, I want to die. I look forward to the day that I will begin to spend eternity in heaven with my father. But just because I think life is a terrible thing to endure doesn’t hinder me from seeing the beauty that he provides us with. At 22 I have made it a goal to accept life for what it is, and to understand that no treasure I store up on earth will carry over to heaven. Because of that I take strength in Revelation 5:5 knowing that I should, “fear not, for Jesus the Lion of Judah has triumphed.”

When we look past the honesty, frankness, and candor in how some people express themselves, we are shown a much more passionate side of life than we are used to. The ink on the arm means so much more than just a tattoo, and the quote itself isn’t about someone who feels sorry for herself and wishes she was dead. In fact, it tells a story so complex and intense that if the reader can’t relate to it, they probably won’t understand it. The beauty that we find within these stories is one that is radiant and resilient. It is a beauty that has been resolved by pain, and one that is displayed in its purest form.

My point in this is that so many times we expect beauty to be found in happiness. We expect it to make us feel good and to be positive, but that isn’t always the case. In this situation it is the story of a fiercely colored red haired girl. A girl who’s beauty shines through how she expresses herself. A girl who’s story lies much deeper than the tattoos she has or the scars that she carries. Her story is one that shows how it is not our situations that define us, but how we respond to those situations that will determine who we are. Fire doesn’t build character, it simply reveals it.