What can we learn from a tattoo? What is to be learned from the ink below a person’s skin? Tattoos are seldom either profound works of literature or wondrous works of art. They do however give us a glimpse at the heart which is expressing itself through his or her skin.
The world of sport is rife with tattooed men and women. From the high profile sportspeople like David Beckham to the most obscure high school student-athlete with a hunger to honor a fallen teammate, tattoos are very prevalent in this culture. Many who follow Christ are quick to make judgments about tattoos and their propriety for other followers of Jesus. It is not my intention to make judgments either way, but to consider what a person is telling us from his or her choice of tattoo and the possibility that well worded questions about them can open a pathway to heart-felt discussions about the real matters of life.
In this season’s Team Building sessions with USA university men’s basketball and American football teams, I have used these sentences for discussion among the players in small groups and then with the team at large. “If you have a tattoo, tell us about it. (What does it represent? When did you get it?) Do you have any regrets about having it now?” The responses to these thoughts were varied and remarkable. One player said, “I do not have any tattoos. It would displease my parents and I will not do anything to disrespect my parents.” I was stunned. Another player, with over 20 tattoos, said, “My left arm is dedicated to my mother. My right arm is dedicated to my grade school classmate who died when we were eleven years old. My chest and back speak of things which are important to me.” More than I expected said that they had no tattoos and not a single one would say he regretted having it, a strong contrast to many men of my generation who wish the US Marine Corps bulldog on their shoulders or the US Navy anchors on their forearms were no longer there. This lack of regret may simply be a function of age.
Just among athletes I have seen tattoos on feet, ankles, shins, calves, thighs, lower backs, upper backs, torsos, upper chests, shoulders, biceps, forearms, whole sleeves of tattoos, on fingers, on necks and even under one’s hair. My daughter-in-law, a track athlete, has the word, “Strength” on the top of her foot. A friend who was a USA high jumper in the 1996 Olympics has the Olympic rings above his ankle. Without exception, there is a reason for what is written or drawn. The bearer of the tattoo is expressing his heart through the ink. Their hearts are sometimes foolish, sometimes they were received in the fog of an alcohol or drug induced mind, but in all cases the tattoo means something.
Getting to the something, discerning the meaning and the athlete’s heart is what I am asking you to consider. Starting the discussion is often as simple as asking a question like the one listed earlier. I have asked that question in formal settings like Team Building sessions, while standing beside a basketball court while players drank water, while standing on the sideline at football practice and while sitting together over coffee. In every case, I hear layers of answers. There is usually the surface level “public answer” which satisfies most people, but I am looking for something more. There has to be something deeper here to justify the pain, time and cash invested in the ink below one’s skin. Asking follow up questions which enable one to share a story about the acquisition of the tattoo, the circumstances surrounding it and the significance of the word or the symbol can help us hear their hearts and can open a path to speak to their hearts most directly. Be careful, you may not want to hear some of what you’re told.
Just yesterday a college softball player posted this on her facebook page, “kinda interested in getting a tattoo!?” Despite the spelling, capitalization, grammar and punctuation errors in her message, which I ignored, I replied, “Seldom does such fleeting interest result in a decision one is happy with 10 years later.” Other comments on her post included, “I will go with you!” “All the cool kids are doing it.” “what happens when youre old and saggy? bye bye tattoooooo :(“ “That's why you get one down your side that says ‘faith’ so when youre old and saggy it folds over perfectly and says ‘fat’.” “sleep on it... for like .... a year. LOL” Such is the advice given by teammates, godmothers, friends and sport chaplains; some funny, some insightful and some emblematic of the short-term thinking which results in the proliferation of tattoo shops around the world.
For our purposes as men and women who serve the people of sport, let’s forgo making judgments and concentrate on using these graphic expressions of hearts to engage those same hearts in conversations characterized by love, redemption and the grace of the Lord Jesus.
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