Reflections on Writing Love on My Arms

Today, according to a few Facebook events and groups, is the second annual "To Write Love on Her Arms" day. TWLOHA is a foundation centered on bringing Love and Hope to those who are contemplating. Having seen what suicide can do to a family or to a group of friends, I am in full support of TWLOHA and any other anti-suicide group. However, while reading the Walls for one of the events, I read some very negative comments, akin to:

"So, you just write 'Love' on your arm? How does that save anybody?"
"Loving people is not a fad."
"Writing something on your arm does not make you a savior."
"It's funny; people join this Facebook group and think they're actually saving someone's life."

Now, I understand the reasoning behind all of these comments, and I mean no ill will towards anyone who has said/agrees with these statements. I am simply trying to offer my own rebuttal to these, so people will understand why I am writing Love on my arms today.

Writing Love on my arm does not save anybody, nor does joining a Facebook group or telling someone I Love them or wearing a T-Shirt. But the reason I am taking place in TWLOHA Day is to get the word out about TWLOHA and their cause. It is the same principle behind wearing a college or band shirt, or the "I gave blood" shirts the Red Cross gives out - propaganda. That has become a dirty word in our culture, and justly so. Propaganda just seems to ooze of establishment and all those other nasty words no one wants to have anything to do with. However, when it comes to a company whose job is saving people's lives, I will gladly be the biggest propaganda-whore I can for them. It is kind of like Christ...He is not cool (by today's standards), His T-Shirts are often cheesy, but we talk about Him and portray Him to get the word out...see where I am going with this?

As for Loving people being a "fad," if you want to accuse me of this, just look at the way I live my life. I try to Love and interact with as many people as possible. God gave me a spiritual gift of Loving. Even people I really want to hate end up deserving Love in my book. So while taking one day out of my year to physically write Love on my arm may be a fad, do not assume that all of my Love for the year is boxed into this single section of 24 hours. I do not keep Love physically written on my arm for a few reasons, most of the aesthetic and personal. But I do keep Love written on my heart, so when I see people, I Love them (even though lately some people have taken more work than others).

So what am I doing? I am writing Love on my arm so if someone says, “Hey, Yeti, why do you have Love written on your arm?” I can point them towards TWLOHA. Sure, they do not need help (now or ever), or know anyone that does. But someday, they may hear of someone needing help and if TWLOHA rolls off their tongue and saves a life, then Praise Him. Just like when people ask me why I have Love written on my heart, I can point them towards Christ.