The Boy with No Tattoos

     If you know me to any extent or you've seen me tweet about them, you know that I want tattoos. Two of them. But because you know me, you also know that I'm not allowed to get them...yet. My dad, who has supported me through everything and in any way he can, including financially, and is supporting me through college via money when he can and letting me drive his car while I am away at school, believes that Christians should not get tattoos [Leviticus 19:28b - "...nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord."]. Because of this belief, I am not allowed to get one until I can fully support myself financially (including transportation). As his son, whether I agree or not, I have to respect that. And I do. To say that I've had the chance to get a tattoo would be an understatement. I've had MULTIPLE chances, including an offer to get one for free. As difficult as it is, I am respecting my dad's wishes (now, if he were to change his mind, that'd be great!). After all he has done for me and is continuing to do, I can abide by this one rule.

      But the purpose of me blogging tonight is not to tell you about my dad's beliefs and such. I wanted to write about my feelings about tattoos, which tattoos I want, and why I want them.

     I am a big fan of tattoos...to an extent. I believe that something permanent on your body should have significance. I know people get random tattoos all the time, but I say what's the point? I really don't mean to offend anyone who has done that, that's just how I feel about random tattoos. A tattoo should have significance to you, and it should be something that a person has thought about it for a long, long time.

     A friend who has a tattoo or two (I can't remember) told me her process for getting the ink. She designs what she wants on paper and puts it somewhere she'll see it everyday. After what I think is 6 months, if she looks at it everyday and STILL wants it, then she gets it. I think that's awesome. Something permanent on your body should be something you've thought about extensively.

     That being said, I have thought about what tattoos I want, and why I want them. So far, there are two tattoos that I know I am getting someday.

     The first is ἀγάπη. It is "agape" in the Classical Greek. The word 'agape' is one of the Greek words translated into English as love. It is the love that God has for us as humans, as well as the reciprocation of love by humankind to God. It is the strongest form of love. Of the 4 forms of love translated into English from Greek (agape, eros, philia, storge), I picked this one because it is the love that means the most to me. I am constantly in a state of being blown away at the unconditional love that the Father has for me. It's honestly one of the most amazing things about my faith. I love that, despite everything I have done, I am still loved by my Heavenly Father. I think Relient K said it best in their song "I Am Understood": "You're the only one who knows me yet still loves completely." I love this song, but specifically this part (I actually blogged about this song awhile back. You can read my interpretation here!).

     Also having to do with why I want it is WHERE I'm getting it, which is on my left wrist. [I know, I know, wrist tattoos should be a no-no for anyone who ever wants a "corporate" job, or, for me, a teaching job. I've heard the speech MANY times from MANY people, including family members who have tattoos. You'd be crazy to think I hadn't thought about that aspect as well. I have thought about it, and quite a bit at that. I know it means long-sleeves at work everyday or a big watch that will cover it up. I am ok with either of those options. I want the tattoo on my left wrist, and that's where I am getting it. End of story.] To Write Love on Her Arms is an organization that is near and dear to my heart for a number of reasons. This is their mission statement (obtained from their website): To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery." The things they they help treat (depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide) hit close to home, I love this organization and what they stand for. I want LOVE written permanently written on my arm to serve as a reminder to myself and to others about the unconditional love the Father has for each one of us, and that no one should ever have to struggle with those things.

     So that's the first tattoo I want, and all the factors going into my decision to get it. I hope that even if you're one of those naysayers regarding the location I want it, you can at least respect why I want it there.

     The second tattoo is the middle part of Philippians 1:21, which says, "To live is Christ." This is definitely one of those verses I would consider a "life verse." If you've spent any time in a church or just studying the New Testament, you are probably familiar with the entire verse, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." I myself have heard it many, many times, but the meaning did not really hit me until about two years ago. It was a Wednesday night, and I was at church. There was a guest speaker in youth that night, and he spoke on this verse in a way that I had never heard. He really focused in on the "to live is Christ" part, making me really think about the words. He said, "'To live is Christ.' That doesn't say to live includes Christ." That really stuck out to me. As Christians, we are called to live our lives as Christ followers, striving to be more like Him everyday. In life, we should not include Christ in the things we do. Christ should be the center and the focus of everything we do. I think that in this verse, Paul is talking about how Christ lives inside of him and guides his daily path and gives him the power to live the life he was called to live. This is the life that every Christian should strive to live, and I want to strive to live like this. This verse means a lot to me, and I want to represent that importance through tattoo. With that being said, I'm not going to tattoo every verse that means a lot to me, but this one I am. For this one, I haven't decided exactly where I want it, but I will probably get it on my chest, right above where a pocket would be on a shirt.

     While I know what I want and such, I don't have actual pictures of them anymore. They were both saved on my computer back home, but it crashed awhile ago and I lost them. As soon as I get them on paper again,  I will be sure to post them on my blog!

     If you've stuck with me until now, thank you. This is obviously something that means a lot to me, and I wanted to share it with you, so thank you for reading it. If you have any comments about this post or about tattoos in general, or if you have a tattoo and want to tell me about it, feel free to use the comment box at the bottom of this post! I would love to hear about your ink!



Thanks again,
Cameron