Clash of the Testaments

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with tattoos.  In middle school I was in love with a tattoo on the forearm of a female warrior character of a book my brother had lent me, and wished I had one just like it.  By high school, I knew enough about tattoos to know that my middle school fantasy would be unlikely to come to fruition, but I had plenty of other tattoo ideas swirling around in my brain to make up for it. 

Even now, tattoos amaze me.  And in my line of work, I see plenty of them.  If I can legally uncover the body part in the context of therapy, I have seen it tattooed.  Forearm sleeves, upper-arm sleeves, full-back masterpieces, wrap-arounds on legs, tops of the feet, up the neck, behind the ear ~ if it is visible without being obscene, I've seen it.  Some of them look like they may have once been featured on the "Ugliest Tattoos" website.  Others I just don't get.  Some are creepy but done well artistically, others are awesome ideas poorly executed.  The most beautiful tattoo I have ever seen was on a patient.  My brother, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, father-in-law and husband all have tattoos.

I was 32 when I finally broke down and got inked.  Part of the delay was based on parental influence.  My dad is not a fan, especially when the tattoo is on his daughter.  But the bigger issue was that I was uncertain about with what to permanently adorn my body.  When I reflect on what I might have gotten as a young person, I don't regret not getting them.  They weren't bad ideas, and I don't think I would regret them now if I had gotten them then, but they no longer fit the person I have become.  They were better ideas for book-cover doodling than permanent body art.

Someone once recommended an excellent strategy for deciding on a tattoo.  He told me to take my time finding exactly what I thought I wanted.  Then put it away for 6 months.  Look at it again, and if it is still exactly what I want, put it away again.  And in another 6 months, if it is still exactly what I want, get it done.  I followed that advice.  As of this writing I have 4 tattoos, all obtained within a 16-month time frame, and I plan on rewarding myself with a 5th if I finish college Algebra with an A.

All of my current tattoos are based in my faith, though one may need an explanation of each.  The phoenix on my back represents the many times God has raised my life from the ashes I had made of it.  Unfortunately, this is a repeating pattern.  The scripture reference on my shoulder is Isaiah 33:12-16.  At the base of my left thumb is the phrase "be still" written in Aramaic, inspired by the passage in Exodus where the Isrealites where grumbling at the Red Sea and Moses reminded them that the Lord would fight for them if only they would "be still".  Just under my right elbow is a band of Greek writing that reads "I am his and he is mine", from the Song of Songs.  But my very first tattoo is on my right wrist, and in Hebrew it reads Yeushua.

For those of you who don't know me, let's play a guessing game.  Judging by my body art, what would you think is my belief?  Three of my tattoos reference Old Testament scripture, but 2 of them are written in the languages of the New.  And the one New Testament reference is written in the language of the Old.  Most people look at the Hebrew (though most of them can't actually read it) and the Old Testament reference on my back and immediately assume I am Jewish.  Unless that person is himself Jewish.  Then they wonder why anyone would want to address the Savior of the Christian faith by His Jewish name.

Of them all, the wrist tattoo is my favorite.  If for no other reason than the confusion it creates.  It rocks as a conversation starter.  Even the average person can usually recognize the writing as Hebrew, and when they can't read it they ask about it.  I explain what it says and that it allows me to honor both of the important men in my life, since my husband's name is Joshua.  Why did I choose Hebrew to honor Christ, is usually the next question.  Christ was a Hebrew, was He not?  I have chosen to honor Him by honoring His heritage, and mine as His follower.  I have found this to fascinate Jewish people I have come across and really irk the uneducated.  The Jews that I have talked with are amazed that there are Christians out there who openly admit to and embrace Christ's Jewish blood line.  Apparently, it is more common for them to come across the Christians who only continue condemn them for murdering their Savior.  As for the uneducated, they just don't get it, and ignorance breeds intolerance.  I've gotten a few snide, attitudinal comments when explaining my tattoo to some who look like they may have been the ones featured on the aforementioned website.

In short, I am a Christian who has made the decision to honor all the heritage that is mine as Christ's follower by adorning my physical temple with the 3 original biblical languages and a pictorial representation of my interpretation of my salvation.  And I'm pretty sure I didn't ask for anyone's opinion about it.

Now ask me what my next tat is gonna be.