Tattoos

I am of an age that I certainly should not worry about what my mom thinks, but I do lol. For my whole youth, and young mother hood, and even when my children were teens, I was adamant about no tattoos. I had many reasons for it then, I was attending a very legalistic church, and that helped to influence my opinion of them.
When Handsome had his emotional affair my life was turned upside down.  As I moved away from the legalistic church many years ago, my attitude about tattoos had changed.  I had seen many beautiful ones, many professing faith, some fun ones.  Of course there will always be ugly ones, that say ugly things, but it is that freedom to choose which is a wonderful thing.
I was struggling so badly during this period, nothing in my life that I thought was the truth turned out to be lies.  Things I believed with all my heart, things I had faith in, turned out to be false.  When something like that happens it shakes you to your core, and makes you question so many other things.  I prayed, constantly for help in discerning the truth in my life , what could I truly believe.
Then I saw the answer.  The ONLY truth in my life, now and forever is GOD LOVES ME.  The only truth was Jesus SAVED me.  As I prayed and realized the truth of this I decided at 48 to get a tattoo, to mark it and proclaim it.  So I had a wonderful friend draw me a simple cross of nails and then had in big bold Hebrew letters Truth tattooed underneath it. Now I can truly say, had I gotten a tattoo when I was in my twenties, I would never ever put the thought into it that I had.  I can only imagine what might of ended up on my body lol.. This tattoo is under my hair on my neck and I can show it when I want to, or not if I do not. So my mother in all these years hasnt seen it.  But I broke the ice last year, I have a favorite card that my dad sent me before he died.  I have it on my mirror in my bedroom, and when I miss him (which is all the time) or when I am sad, I take it out and look at his signature to me and it makes me smile.  So I decided to have his signature blown up and tattoo on my inner right arm as well as the verse that I had inscribed on his tombstone ( not the whole verse but the reference) It is Isaiah:40 30-31

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.



What an amazing promise, it was a verse I taped up for him when he had an open heart surgery.  As a result of that verse he loved eagles after that , and what the symbol represented to him.  That tattoo has brought me more comfort than I can tell you.  Well that one I could not hide from my mom, and when she saw it, she really said nothing about it lol.  Like seriously, what on earth can my mother do, I am over 50  lol.  But still when I visit, I never ever wear my hair up.  Well it is going to be hot this summer, and by golly I am going to wear it up.  I really am proud of my tattoo on my neck, it proclaims for all to see that I claim Jesus and the Cross to be the way the TRUTH and my light.

But a really cool thing happened at church the other week.  Our worship leader has tattoos, and a girl came up to her after services and said how glad she was to see someone in leadership with tattoos.  This girl used to play in her worship band at church, and had gotten a small and totally beautiful tattoo, and her church told her she could no longer use her God given gift to serve God, because she had a tattoo.  So she found our church, and when she saw our worship leader on the stage with her tattoos, she knew God brought her there.  She has a beautiful voice and has joined our worship team.  She feels loved and valued here.  What a shame her old church really lost out.  How many people make snap judgments based on a persons appearance, without knowing their heart.

I go see mom in two months, I will be wearing a high pony tail, and you know what, my mom will love me just as much as she always has.
Take time, learn a persons story before you judge them.
Peace and Blessings!
LTW