my first tattoos & their meanings
Love Never Fails
I’ve thought this one over since the summer going into grade 11. If you don’t know already, I am a Christian and on May 7 this year, I got baptized! This tattoo is basically my testimony of my spiritual journey and what I’ve learned through it all (so far).
For some reason, my sisters and I were enrolled at MCA when we were little, which is pretty weird since at the time, both my parents were Atheist… But having been introduced to Christianity at a young age, I was familiar with a lot of teachings, but it wasn’t until I was in high school when I was old enough to really question my beliefs. Did I believe this because I was taught, or because I truly believed it to be the truth? I could have spent my teenage years focusing on that, but once I got into high school, my focus was all on boys… More specifically, one boy.
In the summer going into grade 11, I remember I was getting ready for an interview at Lush, when my family called me downstairs for a “meeting”. I thought that was really weird but I didn’t really think much of it when I went downstairs. I was surprised to see my dad there since he’s a workaholic so he’s rarely home.
It’s all a blur to me now, but I do remember a few things. I remember my dad leaving that night. I remember calling him and begging him to come home. I remember telling him that all problems have solutions. I remember being daddy’s girl, and being the only one who listened to him throughout the struggles my parents experienced in their marriage. I remember not being able to sleep at all that night. I remember my heart feeling cold.
That Valentine’s day, I remember going to youth and reading what’s probably the most popular verse in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4-6,
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. (NIV).
I was already familiar with that verse, which you probably all are. I read it and I honestly thought it was STUPID.
I remember thinking that love isn’t perfect. How does love never fail?! How does that explain all the “love” we see when a boyfriend cheats on his girlfriend and how does that explain divorce then? It didn’t make any sense to me at all.
But the more I read it, the more I realized that this verse wasn’t talking about human love at all. It was talking about the one true love, the love that humans aren’t capable of. God’s love. The only love we need. Once that realization hit me, it made me smile. I’ve never read anything so beautiful before.
Fast forward to the end of my first year of university. I have been dating the same guy since grade 9, and around the end of my first year was when we broke up. I remember feeling empty, since I was so dependent on him. It wasn’t until after we broke up when I realized the warning signs that he wasn’t right for me. Although we were both Christian, I felt that I was never able to talk about God around him. It just felt unnatural and I was always afraid of being judged. I saw my friends getting baptized, but there was always a part of me that knew that as long as I was with him, I couldn’t. I put him as my number one, and I couldn’t make that promise to God knowing that.
We broke up after 4 years, and although I felt empty, with God’s grace I was able to move on and focus on the important stuff. I would wake up in the morning and just pray that I would get through the day…
Obviously I didn’t get on the right path right away… I had just turned 19 and I took a lot of my worries off my shoulders temporarily by partying and clubbing a lot. It obviously wasn’t the right way to deal with things but I guess I was at such a loss that I just let it happen.
The day I decided to let go and let God, I hopped on a plane to Miami with my family, got on a cruise ship, and the very next day, I bumped into Nate…
What God takes away, He gives back better.
Choose God first and He will bless you.
I really discovered God’s love throughout this time and I hope that this journey will be never ending :)
Infinity sign
I got this tattoo because this is related to my Love Never Fails one. Being the hopeless romantic that I am, all I ultimately want in life is to live happily ever after with someone. My sisters and I were the ones who introduced our parents to God, so God was not a focus in their relationship. It wasn’t until I saw my best friend Amanda’s parents, Nate’s parents and even Sam and Amanda’s relationship, I realized this is what I want. I want that relationship that is centered on something that I truly believe in.
It seems all chill and stuff after you get married, but after having realtalks with Nate’s mom one day, I realized that it’s a never ending journey. It’s something that constantly needs to be worked on… It’s hard work but I can see that it’s worth it.
I got this tattoo so I can remind myself that this is what I ultimately want in life, and doing anything impulsive or “in the moment” can really ruin it all.
