I have a tattoo. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but eventually I regretted my decision to get it.

Tattoos are not fun to get. A man takes a small, buzzing machine with reciprocating needles and sews ink into the meat of your body. They say it just goes down into several layers of skin, but it feels like someone is carving your arm with an X-acto knife. It is considered by some to be a right of passage. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I almost "passaged" out when I got mine.

A tattoo is one of the few mistakes you can make that you can undo. I discovered that it would cost about $10,000 to have this beauty removed. I considered the investment, but then I also considered what the Lord could do with $10,000. One of my sons announced that when he turned 18, he was going to get a tattoo. I talked to him about it. I explained what it would feel like. I told him that he would mark his body for life. He knew I regretted getting mine, but decided he wanted one anyway. I decided to let him do it. It was pointless to try and talk him out of it. His mind was made up and he was old enough to get a tattoo without my permission. I explained to my surprised wife that this was one of the few foolish things he could do that he would never forget and the consequences were minimal. In short, I let him get the tattoo to teach him a lesson. Our son chose to get a rather large circular tattoo in the middle of his back. There is no meat there. There is a lot of bone and nerves. This was going to be a self-inflicted lesson he would never forget. Reality would set in on the night of the great body mutilation. He and a friend went together. They decided to each get tattooed so they could somehow bond. Ladies, please don't try to understand the male psyche. I think it has to do with cavemen or something. I'm not sure. My wife, myself and some other friends went along. We wouldn't miss this for the world! When it was his turn, our son bent over and the "artist" began his work. I wish I had captured that moment on film. His eyebrows twitched and his pupils got real small. There was no turning back now. We smiled as the boy put on his runner's face and his knuckles turned white. Soon, one leg started to bounce uncontrollably. It took close to an hour of silent suffering to pass through the glorious gates of self-realization, sometimes mistaken for manhood. I made my decision to let our son get a tattoo because I know the Father. Because of our son's age and determination (stubborness), there was little else we could do, shy of locking him in his room. I believe we made the same type of decision God makes with us at times. We all have a free will. We can all choose to do good or bad. God does not force His will upon us. He will let us know what is right and wrong. The choice is ours to make. Sometimes God lets us do dumb things and hopefully we learn from them. He sends his angels to guard our path, lest we dash our foot upon a stone. But if we are determined to kick that rock in our bare feet, the angels will step aside. Toes and backs will heal. Tattoos will fade. The health of your soul is more complex. We all have scars in one form or another. How did they happen? Did you tell the angels to step aside and leave you alone? As Christians, we know right from wrong. Learn from your mistakes and you will not repeat them. By the way, our son later got a second tattoo. He finally decided never to do that again. Sometimes we have to take another lap around Mount Sinai before we learn our lesson. - Rod All contents Copyright (c) Rod Use without permission is prohibited

Note: Dawn writes:
i just wanted to let you know that i am so oftenblessed by your emails.... thank you for the work youare doing for the lord.... but this particular email(tattoos) was a bit upsetting to me. i myself have atattoo.... i got it back in december and it issomething that i don't regret.... i am a christian andi love god and i don't believe that getting a tattoodiminishes anything.... i was a little angry when isaw that you continually painted the picture that getting a tattoo is wrong... no ifs, ands, or buts bout it! i am glad that i got my tattoo.... and i don't believe that god thinks that i did the wrongthing in getting a tattoo.
i don't mean to sound bitter, but i just wanted to you to know that i have an opinion that varies from yours and it is one that i don't think is wrong... i was just a little taken a back when you came out and practically condemned tattoos.

just my two cents.

thank you forlistening!...i mean reading!

Deacon writes:
As I was reading this, I couldn't help but remember the time I was going to go get a tattoo. Needless to say, I had had too much to drink and I THOUGHT it would have proven my manhood somehow............I was one of the lucky ones.

You see, it was 1982 and I was an 18 year old serving his country in the Army Reserve. I was in San Antonio for training. The place I went to would not work on anyone under the influence of ANYTHING, even prescription medicine if it could affect their judgement. I picked out a really nice Spanish Galleon that I "wanted" on my chest and stomach. This baby was going to take three sitting at a cost of $100 to $150 per sitting.

Like I said, I was one of the lucky ones. I knew many people who ended up with tattoos (and worse) because they made a bad decision while under the influence of something. The next day, when my head was clear, I went back to that tattoo place and gave the guy $50 and told him "Thank you". It's funny, but I have never regretted NOT getting a tattoo that night (or giving him the money the next day).

Until I read this article, however, I never REALLY thought about what that tattoo would have meant. Not in terms of the physical pain of getting it, or in the permanence of having it. So, for that, I thank you for sharing.

• Topic: Devotionals

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