(by Lorie Codispoti)
Tattoos! What's your opinion?
When I was growing up the only time I saw a tattoo was on someone in the military. And since we lived on several military bases I saw a lot of them. They were more rare, & outside of that setting, people (mostly men) who donned a tattoo were stigmatized. The culture primarily associated them with rebellion & defiance. (Think of famous motorcycle & street gangs.)
According to a Pew research survey, 32% of Americans have a tattoo, and 23% have more than one. While only about 24% regret the decision, most Americans do not.
I’ve seen some amazing artwork created by tattoo artists. They are truly gifted artisans. And while getting a tattoo has never been something on my to-do list, I do not believe that having one is a sin.
They are, however, a fascination.
Curiosity draws me to them, as I want to know the story behind each one. Something I did not expect from this peculiarity is that I've found it to be a strategic tool in my sparsely populated evangelistic tool box.
Let me explain.
According to the statistics, 41% of those who get a tattoo are religiously unaffiliated. Hmm, interesting, don’t you think?
I know that every believer is called to share the Gospel with others. (“Go into all the world & preach the Gospel…” Mark 16:15) But, the spiritual gift of evangelism was not given to me. It does not come natural for me to share the Gospel with someone I do not have some kind of relationship with. There is something that comes natural for me though. I love to hear people’s stories & I am curious enough to ask a stranger to tell me about their tattoo. Most seem eager to talk about them, & many times this has opened the door for me to share something about the Lord.
The stories are always interesting.
One day at the checkout I asked the clerk to tell me about the tattoo on her arm. It looked like the night sky, with the moon & stars shining bright. There were some other symbols that were unfamiliar to me. She was enthusiastic as she explained that the whole scene was linked to her astrological sign.
I took advantage of the opportunity & told her that the God who created the moon & stars did so in such a way that it would proclaim His glory & majesty throughout the cosmos (Psalm 19:1). It was a very short interaction, as I didn’t want to get her in trouble or anger the people in line behind me. Nevertheless, it was a way for me to sow a seed, or “put a pebble in her shoe,” as Greg Koukl says in his book, Tactics. (An excellent read.)
It was Jesus who told His disciples, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35)
Whatever your opinion about tattoos, don’t miss the opportunity to share with those who have run the ink well dry in an attempt to tell their story. Use it to paint for them a picture of the greatest story ever told.
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