The Tattoo, Part 2

I had a chance to really share about my tattoo in depth with my friend David (pronounced "Daveed") yesterday, and I would like to share more with all the imaginary readers I have.

As mentioned, the Chinese symbols on my back mean "living sacrifice." That is a phrase taken out of the Bible in Romans 12. As I told David, I think that Romans 12 gives one of the best snapshot views in the Bible of how Christians are meant to live now that they have eternal life and a relationship with God. Within that chapter, I think that the phrase "living sacrifice" is the best single descriptor of what a Christian is not meant to be in practice.

So, why did I get this tattoo? It was certainly not to just be trendy and edgy as a Christian. I got it really as a commitment, a challenge, and a reminder. I got this tattoo as a commitment to God and to myself to diligently do what I can to be a living sacrifice: to lay down my will for the sake of God's will, even when I don't understand; to lay down my will for the will of others when it benefits them and can reveal God to them. I did this as a challenge to myself: to push the limits of how I am now being a living sacrifice, and how I might sacrifice more for the sake of God and others. And every time someone asks about it, I am reminded of these things. That's why I got this tattoo.