18-month-old Honey-Rae Phillips was born with a strawberry rose-red birthmark on her right side, a mark that is growing right along with her. It's noticeable, and her parents, Tanya and Adam, were concerned that as she grew, she would feel different, or alone. So Honey-Rae's mom and dad did something that many parents would never consider. They got huge tattoos of their daughter's "blemish" so that they could match.

"Most people might think it's very extreme but to us it was the natural thing to do to ensure our daughter never felt different or alone in the world," said Tanya. "It was incredibly painful, especially as I had a flower to cover some old star tattoos, but it was worth every second of the pain. When the swelling went down, I showed Honey-Rae, and she gently touched it and smiled as she said 'Match,' pointing to her own leg. If I'd have needed any reassurance that I'd made the right decision that was it. She now constantly touches mine and Adam's tattoos then her own birthmark and giggles—I couldn't be happier."

Possible Preaching Angle:

Those of us who love others understand the lengths that we would go to, to protect them, to welcome them, to show them love. What an image of the God who, in Jesus, emptied himself to take on our form, blemished as it was, to claim it for himself as beautiful and make it wholly worthy of his love.