Tattoo Guidelines

Part of my project was to make some "Tattoo Guidelines" for people who don't have a tattoo but want to get one, and I wanted to show my responses to a lot of commonly asked questions by people who are looking to get a tattoo.  I've been working on them for about a month now, but I didn't want to call them finished until I got my tattoo, because then I could look at the guidelines with a different perspective.

By the way, these guidelines are from me and are my opinions, if you don't like them that's okay with me.

I've decided that there are five things to consider when getting a tattoo. (Or only four, depending on what you believe.)  They are: The Placement,  The Cost & Artist, The Design, God, and Yourself.

The Placement:
The placement is very important. You need to think very carefully about where you put a tattoo, because it will be there for life.  Think about the job you have, or a job you want to get. Will you need to cover it for work? Do you want people to be able to see it 24/7?  What will it look like when you're old? There are certain parts of the body that stretch and sag with age more than other parts of the body. 

Cost & Artist:
The cost of a tattoo isn't something you should cheap out on.  You are paying for a piece of artwork that will be on your body for the rest of your life. You want a quality piece of work done in a sterile environment, so you should be willing to pay for it.  I do not recommend walk ins for getting a tattoo.  You will want to visit the shop a few times and get a feel for it.  If it seems sketchy or unclean, go to another shop.  Don't risk it.  You'll want to meet with your artist a few times as well.  This person is going to be taking a needle to your skin, and be super close to you for a few hours (depending on the size of your tattoo) so you'll want to at least have met them before hand. 

Design:
This is a very personal one, everyone wants to get something that will be represent them, or a part of them.  Be original.  Do not find a picture on Google images and then get that permanently on your body.  The person who is going to be doing your tattoo is an artist! Use them! Artists normally do not like tattooing designs like that anyways.  They want you to wear an original piece of art as well.  Give them pictures of things that you like, and then tell them about what you want.  They will be able to come up with something that you like.   If you don't 100% like the design, do not get it.  It will be on your body forever, so wait until the design is just right.  Make sure it's symbolic of something in your life.  Don't get a tattoo just because it looks cool.  Know that what's cool now may not be cool later.

Yourself:
Getting a tattoo is a very personal experience, especially if the tattoo has a lot of meaning to you.  Before you get your tattoo, you'll need to decided if this is what you really want.  Will you regret it at all?  Is it something that you can handle having on your body for the rest of your life?  Even if you love it when you're young and your skin is nice, will you love it when you get married, when you have children, when you have grandchildren?  These are all things to consider.

God:
This is something that the Bible is not 100% clear about, so I will be sharing what I believe about this matter.  Is it okay to be a Christian and have a tattoo? I believe it is.  I think the question should be "Does your tattoo glorify God?" and if the answer isn't "Yes" than the answer to getting that specific tattoo should be "No".   In Leviticus 19:28 it says "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves.  I am the Lord."   This verse seems pretty clear, but we also have to look at the context of this verse.  The whole book of Leviticus is filled with rules and regulations, such as that verse and many others saying things like "Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it" or "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." (Leviticus 19: 26 & 27) Now, I don't know about you but I eat my steaks rare and I cut my hair. These rules in Leviticus were from God to the Israelite people.  The Israelites were to follow these rules so that they could be set apart from the sinful world.  These rules all changed at the cross.  When Jesus died for us, he paid for it all and we do not have to do anything to gain forgiveness except ask.  We don't have to follow the rules in Leviticus anymore.  Jesus paid it all. 
So; if you're a Christian and you're looking to get a tattoo, pray about it.  Look at the rest of the guidelines and then ask yourself "Does this tattoo glorify God?"