Every person has a story. Through the ages, tales about brave warriors or courageous civilians are told through countless mediums. These tales have been expressed verbally, through pictures, songs, dances, etc. but there is a medium in this day and age that is worth talking about. That medium is tattoos.
Nowadays, the tattoo business has boomed to the point where more often than not, you will encounter someone with a tattoo. Each person has their own story and reasoning behind why they decided to get the tattoo that they got. I completely understand personal and religious reasons for not supporting tattoos, but you’d be surprised of the stories each tattoo can hold.
There are some tattoos that happened under “not so wonderful mindsets” and some that carry no meanings other than… “I thought it looked cool”. But when you really take the time to ask others of their stories, something beautiful could be learned.
In the spirit of asking, I have decided to share the story of my ink. My first tattoo is a script on the back of my neck that reads “Psalm 46:5”.
This tattoo means a great deal to me. I got this tattoo June 21st, 2014 after my first semester of college.
I started college in January of 2014, with the hopes of gaining a Cell and Molecular Biology degree and to become a member of the university’s soccer team. I graduated high school a semester early and decided to take a leap of faith and leave home for college right away. I arrived on a camps that was over 200 miles from home and enveloped myself into a culture that was already six months ahead of me. It was not easy… Coming from a high school that never taught me how to study, college classes were a complete reality check. I was around people who were already solidified in their friendships, and I was the loner who didn’t know a soul and had to navigate a cafeteria with the option of either sitting by myself or complete strangers. This often ended with me choosing to not even attempt the cafeteria. And then soccer happened. Season was over and I had to be on campus two weeks before the team would even gather. I was considered a walk on. I showed up to the coach's office just a few months earlier and asked for the chance to try out for the university’s team. He said he’d give me a chance and when I arrived for classes in the spring, that I could partake in the off season training. To say I was terrified on my first day would be an understatement. I had to incorporate myself with a group of girls who had literally just spent an entire semester/season together and here I am, doe eyed, 17-year-old blondie who they didn’t know from Adam (and from what they stalked on Instagram- which happened to be the wrong girl). I spent an entire semester training with the team and working my butt off every single day as if it was try-outs (because it technically was for me). I was under no scholarship or contract and on any day, Coach could excuse me from practice and that would be the end of my life-long soccer career.
I was under an enormous amount of stress that semester. In the classroom, I studied for hours and hours on end to make good grades. I was rewarded with a 4.0 that semester. In the social aspect, I put myself out there and put myself into situations where I would meet new people and always kept an open mind. This led me to my three best friends that I still love dearly to this day. In soccer, I worked my hardest and left everything on the field for Coach to see and when the semester concluded, I received a scholarship contract and was put on the roster for the next season.
In all my endeavors that semester I always remembered my faith and to give thanks and credit where they were due. It’s often discussed that college students drift farther and farther from their faith as they enter their college campus and activities. Me being so isolated and on my own my first semester gave me the opportunity to grow towards my faith and know that all my trust can be put into it. That’s where I found Psalm 46:5:
“God is within her, she will not fall”
In the conclusion of my first semester and a time of such change, I decided to make that verse a permanent part of me to carry every day and with that, this story. With my story, I hope to inspire others to take a leaps of faith and that there is a plan at work for everybody.
Next time you encounter someone with a tattoo, ask about it. The worst thing you can get is a no. The story you hear from that individual could be something they carry with them with the sole intention of sharing that lesson, so give them that opportunity and it could impact you to share your own tale.
Share your story!
