Hello, I found this website looking for a place to ask Christians for advice. I am still very, very new and fumbling on my own with it a lot, and I don't yet have a church to go to for advice.
Something that is weighing very heavily on me is that years ago I got a pagan tattoo. At the time I did not see it as anything bad, and saw no evil meaning in it, I thought it represented protection from evil - well that's all rather ironic now since having looked up what it is really all about outside new age deception.
This tattoo is somewhat large. I cannot afford to get it removed or covered, and trying to do so myself would probably result in serious injury and not work anyway.
But it's driving me crazy having it and causing me a lot of distress. Feels like even if I ask for forgiveness for it, it's still there, broadcasting for the enemy.
I don't know what to do. Has anyone dealt with a regret like this before? What would you do in my shoes?
Hi KatyPeach, good to see you on the forums. God bless His Word to you. And I hope you'll find some like-minded friends on here and be stimulated to read the Scriptures prayerfully and also — it's a two-way thing! — be able to stimulate others to do so, as well.
One thing you mentioned in your post has a big priority and this is matter of finding other Christians to meet with regularly. Even before you do find a church, it's always good to be clear what to look for: if you love to read in the Bible about the Lord Jesus and His love for sinners which took Him to the Cross, and if you love to pray and thank the Lord for blessings in Christ, and be involved in telling others, it's natural to want to meet with others who do the same!
And so really, good Christian fellowship happens around regular Scripture reading and study, and prayer. Whatever else might go under the name of 'church', it's these activities which are so essential. Acts 2.41-42 is also a good guide to basic, local church activities.
And oh yes! you did mention something else: a tattoo.
I think in the scheme of things, in 'defining the universe', your tattoo is really one very small example of things in the universe. There are all sorts of reasons for regretting tattoos. So many young people get tattoos; in fact, as you well know, for a large number of ppl, 18 and over is the time to do it when you become adults. BFine said, above: 'Tattoos aren't unheard of these days...they are literally everywhere. Inkers/tattoo shops are also prominent. It's hard to meet very many people who don't have a tattoo.' So in terms of your regret, you maybe need to figure whether it's because you're a young person with a tattoo, or not. Getting tattooed used to be a man thing (before you were born, probably!) but now women do it extremely widely and very confidently (and apparently in North America now 59%-70% of parlor clients are women). So in terms of your regret, you need to figure whether your regret about becoming tattooed is because of your gender or not. A lot of Christians have tattoos, actually; some of them regret them, some don't. Some of them actually like their tattoos because they are faith based and a proven tool in witness. I think at least part of your regret is because of the design and you're already taking steps regularly to keep it covered. Some posters, above, have suggested that because you regret your tattoo design you have it modified in some way, and this option might include whether to 'neutralize' the design or even have it changed in some way for it to have some faith based reference that you would talk to people about; some tattoo artists can do some marvellous transformations. Changing, rather than removing completely, a tattoo — especially if big — can sometimes be a less painful and less expensive way to go and might in some cases be seen by the wearer as having a witness design benefit. In fact, covering a tattoo is often done for reasons nothing to with whether the design is religious or esoteric or whatever; if you have a future in a corporate office or in a conservative professional environment, as not a few older women with tattoos have, then covering one's tattoo with a pin-stripe suit or suitable outfit is what they would expect to do almost daily.
(Two cents.') Blessings.