Suffering from mistakes from the past (regretting tattoos)

[faroukfarouk]

Hi, Farouk!
No, I don't regret it...although I sometimes wish I'd gotten it done professionally.
Still, it makes me smile when the grandkids holler, "Nana, you so totally rock!"

TheBarrd:

Oh okay! so in fact you are after all a tattooed woman without regrets, basically.

Although I guess your advice to young women today would be to make sure they go to the parlor for a good quality tattooing, right?.

Blessings.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Haha yes, that is not my style quite honestly

aliexpress dot com

Another, maybe a bit different style that the guy has. But maybe it's not yours, either.

Blessings.

 

[TheBarrd]

TheBarrd:

Oh okay! so in fact you are after all a tattooed woman without regrets, basically.

Although I guess your advice to young women today would be to make sure they go to the parlor for a good quality tattooing, right?.

Blessings.

Absolutely!
I've often thought of going to the parlor to see what might be done to pretty up my tats...just never seemed to get around to it.
Besides, I kinda like remembering those long ago days when I got to strut my stuff as the "girl singer" in a popular local band. Believe it or not, I can still wail...however, there is a bit more jiggle in my wiggle than in those good ol' days...

 

[faroukfarouk]

Absolutely!
I've often thought of going to the parlor to see what might be done to pretty up my tats...just never seemed to get around to it.

Ms Bard: So do you have daughters/sons, granddaughters/grandsons that have gotten inked, or who might be considering doing it for the first time? and would you support them by going with them to the parlor?

(PS: I liked your Scriptural poems on your blog, btw. )

Blessings.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Absolutely!
...

PS: Maybe it's a pity that more Christians don't train and work as tattoo artists? (given the witness opportunities afforded by faith based designs).

 

[faroukfarouk]

Well there is no shame in the Lord's name, is there?

ClothedInGrace: Such a tattoo, kind of like a proclamation, in your view?

 

[ClothedInGrace]

ClothedInGrace: Such a tattoo, kind of like a proclamation, in your view?

Sorry, I don't follow.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Sorry, I don't follow.

What I meant was, You said you would not be ashamed of the Lord's name in a tattoo; and I'm wondering therefore if you would really treat it as something to be proclaimed rather than be ashamed of.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

What I meant was, You said you would not be ashamed of the Lord's name in a tattoo; and I'm wondering therefore if you would really treat it as something to be proclaimed rather than be ashamed of.

Haha I wouldn't get a tattoo to be ashamed of. Of course I would wear it proudly.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Haha I wouldn't get a tattoo to be ashamed of. Of course I would wear it proudly.

So I guess, unlike some folk, you would see faith based tattoos, gotten with a witness motive, as pretty legit.

 

[ClothedInGrace]

So I guess, unlike some folk, you would see faith based tattoos, gotten with a witness motive, as pretty legit.

If a brother or sister wants to get a tattoo regarding the faith, I say let em!

 

[faroukfarouk]

If a brother or sister wants to get a tattoo regarding the faith, I say let em!

It used to be man thing to get a tattoo, but now (and I guess your mom would strongly agree) it's become a thoroughly womanly thing to do also; and among Christians it's certainly women who are getting lots of faith based tattoos and not only men.

(The thing of tattoos being largely for male sailors and bikers is gone now, right?)

 

[razzelflabben]

Hello everyone!

I have put my faith quite recently in Jesus Christ as my saviour (1/2-years ago approximately). And I have really felt how He has taken care of my life and I have felt His love for me in many amazing ways.

The thing is, I have some tattoos from the past which are hurting me mentally. Because I know tattoos are sin (yes they are), and I deeply regret them. I have a dragon on my upper body (made it because it looked cool, quite ugly to be honest) and did not knew back then that the Evil one is described as a dragon in Revelation. Which makes me regret it a lot! I also was stupid enough to tattoo my forearm and well, the result was quite messy to be honest. In my eyes the tattoos are ugly and I can´t stand looking at them, therefore I always (almost) wear long-sleeve shirts to cover them. And that´s the sad part of the story. I´ve always liked my looks and been proud of me, but now that I have found myself for real in Jesus Christ I regret having tattoos (ugly as well) on my body as we as Christian are not supposed to treat our Holy Temple in that way. I also believe we should take care of our bodies in order to glorify God, which is a bit difficult with messy ink on it!

I don´t know how to cope with having to see the tattoos everyday and being reminded of my sins. I know I am forgiven by Jesus for making them, but on the other hand I find it hard to forgive myself and letting go of them as they are always there. I am very thankful I have found Jesus and been saved, but I just wonder how He can help me cope with this issue? I believe Jesus is a healer as well and has promised we are to be healed if we pray for it, and to be honest, I pray every single evening that He would get rid of my tattoos so I can wake up in the morning without them. Because the tattoos somehow hinders me to feel happy about myself, and that scares me.

I found this thread when someone recommended it to me, so if you don't want to hear what I have to say, that is fine.

Some of our sins follow us through life. Your tatts, a child out of wedlock, etc. God isn't about removing the consequence of our sin, but rather He is about our overcoming that sin. Here is another way to say the same thing. Above you talk about your pride of appearance. In the new man, your pride needs to vanish, the tatts are a reminder or should be of the new man that you have and are becoming. a man that does not take pride in anything of himself. A man that learns obedience through the things he has and is enduring. Your tatts are a unique opportunity for you to learn obedience to Christ and in that, discover a God you could not discover without them. They are kind of like scars for where you have been, scars that should remind you of where you are headed.

Look at Gen. when Adam and Eve well, what happened? God punished them, that punishment is suppose to be a reminder to all of mankind to obey God. You have a built in reminder, make good use of it as you yield to God the pride and old man's ways and take on the new man. Your tatts have to stop being something you hate and start being a reminder of how far you have come in the power of the HS. When you do that, your past sins will no longer have power over you and you will know the truth and power of being an overcomer in the power of the living God.

I could share some of how I know this, but that would take us off topic, so study overcoming and sufferings in scripture, very eye opening. Can God take away your tatts? Sure Does He want to? No, He wants to use them to grow you and mature you into the child He designed you to be.

I am thankful for being able to share this here, it´s an issue which is hurting me a lot. One positive thing is that it has drawn me nearer to Christ in many ways as I seek to find Him and His will for me. Perhaps He has some great plans for sharing my testimony with the tattoo story included somehow. However, would be grateful if someone prayed for me and this issue, it sometimes feels like my prayers are not enough..

God bless you all!

May you find rest in your struggle, strength to endure, grace to grow, and the richness of a Love that will never quit

 

[faroukfarouk]

I found this thread when someone recommended it to me, so if you don't want to hear what I have to say, that is fine.

Some of our sins follow us through life. Your tatts, a child out of wedlock, etc. God isn't about removing the consequence of our sin, but rather He is about our overcoming that sin. Here is another way to say the same thing. Above you talk about your pride of appearance. In the new man, your pride needs to vanish, the tatts are a reminder or should be of the new man that you have and are becoming. a man that does not take pride in anything of himself. A man that learns obedience through the things he has and is enduring. Your tatts are a unique opportunity for you to learn obedience to Christ and in that, discover a God you could not discover without them. They are kind of like scars for where you have been, scars that should remind you of where you are headed.

Look at Gen. when Adam and Eve well, what happened? God punished them, that punishment is suppose to be a reminder to all of mankind to obey God. You have a built in reminder, make good use of it as you yield to God the pride and old man's ways and take on the new man. Your tatts have to stop being something you hate and start being a reminder of how far you have come in the power of the HS. When you do that, your past sins will no longer have power over you and you will know the truth and power of being an overcomer in the power of the living God.

I could share some of how I know this, but that would take us off topic, so study overcoming and sufferings in scripture, very eye opening. Can God take away your tatts? Sure Does He want to? No, He wants to use them to grow you and mature you into the child He designed you to be. May you find rest in your struggle, strength to endure, grace to grow, and the richness of a Love that will never quit

razzelflabben: A very thoughtful post. I guess I would add also that for some Christians tattoos can actually be used to express their Godly aspirations, depending on the design.
Blessings.

 

[RitaKay]

razzelflabben: A very thoughtful post. I guess I would add also that for some Christians tattoos can actually be used to express their Godly aspirations, depending on the design.
Blessings.

I know of some Christian's and those in the public eye have used tattoo's as a witness. Kind of like walking as if a live walking billboard; a blueprint ~ so to speak. I feel it is up to the individual and their conscience whether expressing self in this manner is appropriate or not. There are many of my relatives who have done this. I have not. Recently my daughter just had a tattoo done, I think it was in her case to be done to memorialize the death of her stillborn daughter. For example: a tattoo in the image of a Luna moth, and her name was "Luna." Many of the youth these days seem to embrace tattooing for many personal reasons. Blessings,

 

[razzelflabben]

From what you say, anyhow, it sounds like you intend something like this, maybe:

pinterest dot com

I don't want to get this off topic by talking about dos and don't of tatts, but I would like to throw something out there for you to consider. My studies and my husbands last sermon were about the fear of the Lord. The children of Israel had such a fear of the Lord that they would not, and many to this day will not utter the name of the Lord for fear of saying it wrong. It is a fear like that that we are called to have. Now, I am NOT suggesting we shouldn't utter the name of God or that a tatt of His name is wrong, I'm just saying, think long and hard about what it means and what kind of fear of the Lord you are showing and living in when you consider whether or not to tattoo it to your body.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I don't want to get this off topic by talking about dos and don't of tatts, but I would like to throw something out there for you to consider. My studies and my husbands last sermon were about the fear of the Lord. The children of Israel had such a fear of the Lord that they would not, and many to this day will not utter the name of the Lord for fear of saying it wrong. It is a fear like that that we are called to have. Now, I am NOT suggesting we shouldn't utter the name of God or that a tatt of His name is wrong, I'm just saying, think long and hard about what it means and what kind of fear of the Lord you are showing and living in when you consider whether or not to tattoo it to your body.

razzelflabben: I greatly appreciate what you are saying; I love Psalm 111 about the fear of the Lord.
So are you thinking that for a faith based tattoo design a Bible ref. etc. or a Christian fish sign <>< would probably be better? Blessings to you and yours.

 

[razzelflabben]

razzelflabben: A very thoughtful post. I guess I would add also that for some Christians tattoos can actually be used to express their Godly aspirations, depending on the design.
Blessings.

That discussion would actually be off topic there, so refraining in honor of the OP question...thanks though

 

[razzelflabben]

razzelflabben: I greatly appreciate what you are saying; I love Psalm 111 about the fear of the Lord.
So are you thinking that for a faith based tattoo design a Bible ref. etc. or a Christian fish sign <>< would probably be better? Blessings to you and yours.

Not to be rude, but I do not wish to discuss that here since it is off topic. The topic is the OPer who got tatts before coming to Christ that he now regrets. My comment was just an added dimension of things to think about when one is getting a tatt and truthfully, the OPers situation should also serve as a warning to consider everything before getting one, even the most far fetched ideas can help to make an enlightened decision down the road be less traumatic in the end.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I know of some Christian's and those in the public eye have used tattoo's as a witness. Kind of like walking as if a live walking billboard; a blueprint ~ so to speak. I feel it is up to the individual and their conscience whether expressing self in this manner is appropriate or not. There are many of my relatives who have done this. I have not. Recently my daughter just had a tattoo done, I think it was in her case to be done to memorialize the death of her stillborn daughter. For example: a tattoo in the image of a Luna moth, and her name was "Luna." Many of the youth these days seem to embrace tattooing for many personal reasons. Blessings,

RitaKay:

Very thoughtful and interesting post; and for you the subject must bring it all home to you, so to speak since you said many of your relatives (including women?) have done it. Maybe they find it an effective conversation starter in witness, if the designs are faith based; some Christians find this, anyway.

Were you surprised when your daughter did it? (Sorry about her baby.)

Blessings to you and yours.