Tattoos and a Seal of Ownership

My generation seems to be more into getting tattoos once they turn 18 or bodily piercings. I could be wrong in that this happens to other generations too, but I'm starting to see it a lot with some of my classmates from high school. I'm not saying it's a sin or anything to get tattoos or piercings, certainly not. I'm actually interested in tattoo designs and why people get them (I'm not very interested in piercings, so that's going to be left out of the discussion).

Yes, I've thought about if I was to ever get a tattoo, what would it be?
It would have to be something significant, something that I will stick with for the rest of my life (cause hey, it's going to stay there), something truly meaningful to me. People usually get tattoos of things they really care about, maybe in memory of someone: my geometry teacher in high school has an ankle tattoo of a Bible verse that was important to her late husband. A friend of mine got a tattoo last year on his back with a Bible verse as well. He also got it with his brother, so it was also a special bond between them.

Growing up, I never considered getting any tattoos, but now that I'm older, it sort of looks cool to have one. Maybe I'm just a little influenced by my generation or that I'm in an art school where it's normal to get a tattoo, just to have one. But I don't think there's anything particularly wrong in getting a tattoo. It's more about the reasons behind getting one.

There's a hymn that is sung at my church that is a favorite of mine and it's called, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing". And just this recent Sunday, we sang this song together in a special InterVarsity hangout. There is a line in the last stanza that says this:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here's my hear, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

It really sticks out to me, that God places a seal on our hearts, a seal of ownership. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit of God lives in us and is the seal of ownership to God. I always find this concept of having a seal placed upon me as reassuring, because that means that I will never fall from the hand of God. That He is watching over me, because now I forever belong to Him, and no longer to sin.

What I love is that, a seal might feel binding and restricting, but in the reality of the Gospel, this seal, is a seal to freedom from sin and a beautiful bondage and relationship to God, who so loved the people He created that He would sacrifice His only begotten Son to suffer our consequences, in order to claim us as His once again.

So bringing this all back to tattoos!

Going along with the seal theme, I'd thought it'd be cool to have a verse tattooed on possibly on my back, behind the shoulders that contained that message:

Ephesians 1:13-14

 "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory."

I also thought it'd be cool to have the verse reference, or even the entire verse in Hebrew or Chinese. Reason being for Hebrew, going back to the Biblical roots as the language of the Jews (correct me if I'm wrong). Or Chinese, just an tribute to my heritage and also a praise that God reaches to all kinds of people and the growth of Christianity in China (or both! haha).

Other than Bible verses, there are some ideas for tattoos that I'd thought would be cool to have. Most of them influential of my Christian faith, but I guess that reminds me how important and central God is and needs to be in my life.

• Sparrow: a little brown sparrow would be cute. I'm thinking if I did, it'd be cuddling or sleeping behind my left shoulder. Here's the verse from which I took the inspiration:

Luke 12:5-7
"But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

•  Chinese character for forgiven: 
• I have a necklace that has the Chinese character that says forgiven (or forgiveness in general) that I got back in my last summer of Teen Camp (2011). I'd like it behind my neck, because forgiveness is always there, even though it's hard to see sometimes. This tattoo would be a reminder to myself that I am already forgive and that it's my responsibility to respond and repent for my mistakes. It may not be easy and I sin everyday, but I also have to remember, I am forgiven, and I need to keep moving forward. Also, this has a "turn the other cheek" allusion too. No matter how much I'm hurt, when I shake the dust off my feet from a fight, there's still forgiveness facing them as I walk away.
• 1 John 4:9-11: 
• This is one of my favorite verses. It echoes the Gospel and the famous John 3:16 verse, only worded differently. I like this verse because I feel it's more clear in context. Because,  I know for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life, but you know, do people really understand what this eternal life means and why we long to be eternally with God? That's why I really like referencing this verse. I'm not discrediting John 3:16 at all, just that 1 John 4:9-11 holds more meaning to me personally. I'd like to have the verse reference under my left wrist. Here's the verse:

1 John 4:9-11

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

• Lastly for now, I think a gentle tribal tattoo with a majestic lion:
• The lion holds a lot of meaning to me, actually. My name, Ariel, means "lion of God", and the name itself gives me a lot of encouragement, that I am strong, and I am His. In this case, for a tattoo the lion would reflect the peace and majesty of God. I kind of would like him to be at my lower left hip, standing and looking noble.

Would I like a tattoo? Sure. Should I get one? Hmm..

I remember reading an article about whether it's fine for Christians to have tattoos. The final verdict is that it is perfectly fine for Christians to have tattoos, but it's all about the reason as to why they are getting a tattoo. We also have to be aware about - is it distracting for me to have a tattoo? Is it distracting to others? So these are the questions I have to consider.

When it comes to placement, I know people talk about having it in places where the skin won't stretch or anything (I don't know where those places are at, but if you know, let me know please). But I'm fairly set on where I'd want these tattoos to be. I guess a reason why I don't have a tattoo or might not get one is because I just like to draw on myself, but nothing permanent. That's why if I do get one, I have to put careful careful careful consideration of what I want and where I want it. I tend to want most of them on the left side of my body (if you've noticed in this post). I sometime wonder, "Why am I putting everything on my left hand? i.e. jewelry and the wrist tattoo?" I come to the conclusion that since I'm right handed, and it does more than my left, that the left and right work hand in hand. Meaning, my left says what I stand for and my right does what I stand for. MMM! You can quote me on that, hahahaha :]

Well, by the look of things, the chances of me getting a tattoo are fairly plausible. Will I get one? Sure. Will I get all the ones I mentioned? That'd be cool, but I dunno if I can handle it all.. haha. Lastly, I believe I should honor my parents and discuss it with them before seriously considering on getting one. When I do get a tattoo, I will write a post about it :]

Until then, it's just drawing on myself and temporary tattoos from Walgreens!