Yep. Now, before you go all hypochondriac on me, it was a very sterile place and the tattoo artist, JM (this is linked to his Facebook page so if you’re in the Philippines and you want some ink and you’re near Cagayan de Oro you will know where to go to get that jank done), was really awesome and super good at his job. He definitely doesn’t need to quit his day job.
And yes, it hurt, but not super bad. It was most painful in the middle of my wrist where the tendons are because they flexed every time the needle hit them which was kind of awkward and made my fingers really tingly. Overall, it was a pleasurable experience, but this may be chalked up to the fact that I had been fully conscious for no less than 22 hours and had spent the majority of the day crying or something.
So, I’m sure the question you’re all asking is this: Why would I get a tattoo on the same day my Granddaddy died?
Well, here’s your answer: I already had it planned. In fact, I’ve been thinking about this tattoo for about three years (just ask Caitlin Bass who drew it on my ankle back in the day when I first came up with the idea) and it holds a lot of significance. Let me tell you why:
1. I really love trees. I climbed them a lot when I was a kid and never wore shoes. In college God revealed to me “etz chaim” – the tree of life – and through various metaphors and comparisons taught me a lot about both His character and what my character should be like as a Daughter of the Most High. Trees are referenced countless times in the Bible from the cedars of Lebanon that lined the walls of the Temple to oaks of righteousness in Isaiah and the very picture of my salvation in the New Testament where Jesus grafted me into the ‘true vine.’ We produce fruit, like a tree, if we are taking life from the roots. If the roots are holy, the branch is holy and vice versa. Scripture is very clear on the comparison between man and trees and God and trees. It’s beautiful.
2. The word Beloved is so so special to me. It’s become one of those words that people use all the time and write all the time. I had a guy once say “oh you’re one of those girls that loves the word beloved or anything to do with love.” I couldn’t help but be offended. I’m not a sappy sort of person. I’m pretty granola and I love the outdoors and I don’t mind getting scraped up or muddy so I’m not girly, per se, but God is love so I like it.
I heard this particular word explained by Louie Giglio one time this way and it blew my mind: Beloved is a compound word – “be” and “loved.” In the Old Testament God calls Himself “I AM” when He’s talking to Moses. I am is a form of the verb to be. So – in the word “beloved” it’s like saying “I AM loved” – or “God loved.” As a result of God’s love, we are able to exist – he created man out of His love. He also redeemed man (Isaiah 43:1, goel -> kinsman redeemer in Leviticus) by sending Jesus so that we can exist in relationship with the Father. SO – the I AM loved so I am. I am a byproduct of God’s love.
3. The reason this word is in the roots of the tree (the tree of life, the true vine, my representation as part of the new covenant) is because without the love of the I AM as my source, I wouldn’t exist. So basically it shows that my identity, my very LIFE is fully founded and functional only in the love of the I AM.
