So, By Grace Through Faith now sits on my forearm in ink and will be there for the rest of my mortal life here on Earth. This is one tattoo I can confidently say that I will never regret. It encourages me to write, it encourages to be faithful and give over everything to God. Only problem is that it is healing and terribly itchy, but you can’t scratch healing tattoos or it will mess up the ink.
The tattoo is more than a commitment to Faith or a statement of belief but it is a stamp of change in my life. It marks some major changes in my life that have occurred and are still occurring. It is a mark meaning that I am ready to move on and let go of certain experiences and faults and become the person God wants me to be. I am ready to live with this saying printed on my forearm for life.
Okay beyond my tattoo I have a sort of task to ask you to take part in. I tried this with my roommate last night and it blew my mind. I am a firm believer that every person in your life is there for a reason and purpose. Now what I am asking is for you to take time and reflect on just a few people who have effected you directly, someone you are grateful for. Think about what they have done for you or how they have helped you be you.
Now I want you to take those people out of your life. Think hard and realize how just one simple decision or change in circumstance would place that person outside of your life. This is really easy to do with college friends. It is easy for me to say, had my one of my friends not had enough financial aid, decided not to take a year off, or waited for other acceptance letters… I would never know them. Trust me the people I have in my mind, I can’t imagine not knowing them now. They have marked my life in ways that a tattoo never can.
We are intricately intertwined it seems to me. It is becoming more and more apparent how much God is involved in connecting people and how desperately He wants us to know each other so that we can better know Him. At the end of this exercise, give thanks and rejoice in the fact that you have these individuals. Then realize that God may have more in store for you so be ready for Him to lead you to those you will one day look back and say you can’t imagine life without them.
God is just great. After you are done with this little task I want you to exhale and write me a response on this blog or email me and tell me what you thought and maybe even argue against me.
I am still trying to write a book…it isn’t easy.
Much Love
BGTF
Matt Curcio 
You Matthew are perhaps one of the biggest changes in my life. Before I met you, I had no great ambition to run. With the fact that you do so much and keep trying in the sheer fact that you can’t always, has inspired me to run for as long as my body allows me to, and maybe even past that. You have inspired me to become a better Christian and just be a better friend in general. You make me proud to be who I am and who God made me. If I ever had to think, as in your exercise, about people not being in my life, you are at the top of the list. Plain and simple. As with your exercise, I agree. It’s amazing. Thanks for that thought tonight. I can go to bed smiling (even though I would anyway). Actually, I’ll go to bed beaming.
So I didn’t try this exactly, but people are the most important thing in the world to me so i can imagine what would happen if i did. I was at bible study two nights ago and my youth pastor made the point that the holiest thing in the world is the person next to you. The holiest things we’ll ever know are the people around us because they are the only thing we can take to heaven with us. Money and other possessions are so temporary, but people are eternal. This discussion took place on a day that another leaders house got broken into, so she mentioned that that robber is one of the holiest things on earth! Crazy to think of it that way, but that’s why we forgive others because they are holy! A challenge I decided to give myself was ask my non-Christian friends if there is anything that makes me different than the rest of the world because it is my goal to show people I’m a Christian by my love. I’m gonna come visit Eastern soon and we can talk about this!! 🙂
Ps- Am I the friend without enough financial aid?
Pss- I’m so lucky to know you!!! I feel like I didn’t do the greatest job to get to know you this year, so three more years better do the job!! 🙂
Love this excercise…there are sooo many who have enriched my life through the years. It is truly painful to take them out of my life even if it is just imaginary. Cause you know I do have a vivid imagination. I think you have found your first book …WHO WOULD I BE WITHOUT YOU IN MY LIFE. you could take excerpts of all you meet through this exercise and publish their responses ala chicken soup books. continue trucking on your words are amazing… love mom