I have a tattoo. Ok, actually I have two tattoos, but only one of them will you actually see. And I’m also a Christian. I know a lot of people who would be surprised and slightly judgmental of this combination. But I want to share why I think Jesus would be probably be a proud supporter of tattooed Christians.
Let me start from the beginning. A few months ago in Cambodia1, I got my second (and more obvious) tattoo of an upside-down octopus on my left shoulder blade. On the one hand, I was super proud of it and excited to share it with my squad mates and ministry partners. But on the other hand, I was weary of posting a picture on social media or writing a blog about it, because I was nervous of what my supporters would think. Many of my supporters are in my parents generation – most of whom believe tattoos are scandalous, disrespectful to our body or at the least, purposeless. I feared that they would question my judgement as a world missionary, and wonder why they supported a ‘Christian’ who got a tattoo. So, until just a few days ago, I had wanted to keep my tattoo on the down-low to people back home. Not anymore. I’m stinkin’ proud of my tattoo and proud of the reason I have it!
Soooo, why an upside-down octopus? I’m so glad you asked! A huge part of my testimony is inspired by upside-down octopi2 – but I need to preface this a bit. A few years ago, God shook things up in my life – A LOT. I had been keeping a skeleton in the closet for years, vowing to myself to never tell a soul that I bore a shameful struggle. While at the time I could hardly recognize it, the silence I kept and the lies Satan fed me and the pride in my reputation I wanted to maintain became the shackles of my slavery. I was miserable on the inside – so so far from the presence of God, eaten up in shame, defeated by my own powerlessness. The words of David rang so true – “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” (Psalm 32:3) I really felt that part of my soul was wasting away as I hid behind my “I’ve got it perfectly together” mask.
Until it became too much to bear, until I had tried and failed countless times to deal with it myself, until I was so desperate to escape the bondage was I ready to actually, 100% officially, no-turning-back give it up to God. (I had, in fact, over the years said dozens of prayers for help from God, but none of them actually included any faithful action on my part) It was around this time that I read an article3 about the nature of octopi in captivity. These octopi, most of whom are involved in research, end up developing unique relationships with their handlers. As a handler approaches the water tank, the octopus will rise to the surface to catch a peek of who stopped by. If the octopus recognizes the handler as untrustworthy (perhaps one who hurt them in the past), they will quickly spin around, spray a jet of water in the direction of the handler, and dart to the bottom of their tank. However, if the octopus recognizes the handler as gentle and trustworthy, it will turn itself upside-down, expose its vulnerable underbelly, and allow the handler to rest his or her hand upon it. Then, the octopus will begin to gently caress the hand of the handler with its tentacles in a playful, yet very intimate manner. As can be guessed, this display of vulnerability by the octopus lends itself to a very special and more meaningful relationship with its handler.
I realized that octopi have got to be some of the wisest creatures on the planet. I mean, they really got it – they’ve developed discernment of who to trust, they are willing to lend vulnerability to those deemed trustworthy and they understand that revealing the least glamorous side of themselves can be the most important action for cultivating intimacy.
After reading this article God kept whispering to me – “You want to be nearer to me? Recognize that I am safe. You want to find freedom from your struggle? Be vulnerable. Be honest. You want to be free of the shame and the mask you wear? Trust me with the least attractive side of yourself.”
So, I did. The trust He was asking of me required great sacrifice – surrender the notion that I had the power over my struggle, call on His name in the face of temptation, lay down the “I’ve got it together” mask, and most difficultly be continuously honest with Him and others that I struggled with the temptation of masturbation4 and watching pornography. In return, I found not only the answer to my struggle, but also the most freedom I have ever known – freedom from the shame, freedom to let all of me be known, and freedom to share His unmatched power in my life.
“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:11-14
This scripture nails it. I used to be one who allowed sin to reign in me and I very willingly obeyed its evil desires. I used to offer certain parts of my body as instruments of wickedness. But its not like that anymore. Through the power of the name of Jesus, I now live free from that bondage! He raised me and continues to raise me from the death grip of sin. And because of this, I wholeheartedly desire to offer the parts of my body as instruments of righteousness. I’m stoked to tell others that sin isn’t my master – it has no hold on me anymore – and I have found power in the name of Jesus! And my upside-down octopus tattoo serves this purpose – it is an instrument of God’s righteousness by which I share the Jesus to the world.
With all of this said, I do want to make myself clear on my stance on tattoos. Do I agree with all tattoos? No. It depends on what, where and why one gets it. Do I disagree with Christians who choose to ‘keep their temple pure’ by not getting tattoos? No. I think that’s just as honorable as my decision to get my tattoo. Do I think we need to be open to fresh perspectives on tattoo’ed Christians? Yes. If a tattoo can open the door for the Gospel, then I think Jesus would be all about it.
Just to wrap it up, I think its really cool that when Jesus returns for us on his white horse, in all his heavenly splendor, he will greet us with a tattoo. Revelation 19:16 tells us this:
“On his robe and on his thigh (italics added) he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
So legit. That’s the Jesus I follow. That’s the Jesus who saved me from my sins. And that’s the Jesus who’s likely proud of my upside-down octopus tattoo.
1) Don’t worry, my tattoo artist in Cambodia was French and completely legit – no strange diseases caught here.
2) Yes, octopi is a proper plural form of octopus, according to Oxford English Dictionary. Octopuses just sounds weird.
3) A long, but absolutely fantastic article on octopi. (the beginning & end highlight the relational dimension to which I refer)
4) I’ve since discovered that some Christians don’t believe masturbation is a sin. I do. If you’d like to discuss this, please email/message me. I’m always down for a healthy debate!
