After my brother died, we found a notebook in his room. It was green, with edges so worn to the point that they were soft. The cover, almost falling off, had the word “Tattoos” scribbled across the front in Blake’s handwriting. Inside, we found a handful of incomplete sketches, most (if not all) of which represented a Bible verse. One drawing in particular, though, was well finished. It was a big tree, barren of leaves, but still beautiful. Flying by the tree were a group of birds. “Consider the Ravens” was written across the bottom. This phrase comes from Luke 12:24, one of his favorite verses. 

 

“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” 

-Luke 12:24

 

I’ve known for a while that I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned 18. However, there’s always been a thing against tattoos. When I was younger and thought of tattoos, I pictured a big, sketchy guy with ink all over his body. As I got older, I realized quickly how skewed that image was! As both my parents got tattoos, I saw how cool it was to have something so meaningful as a part of them forever. Then, seeing that Blake wanted to get one also, I realized that I definitely wanted to. 

 

As I’ve gone throughout high school, I’ve kept coming back to one verse -- Luke 12:24. God is constantly reminding me of my value and worth. It is one that is not defined by anything of this world. Not by my grades, number of followers, or what I do. That was a life changing realization!!! It opened up SO MUCH TIME to spend in His word. Continuing the domino effect, as I spent more time with God, I found so many more simple joys in life. I wish I could put more effectively into words how much this changed me, but it’s one of those things everyone needs to experience for themselves.

 

So, a few months before my eighteenth birthday, I decided for sure that I wanted to get a tattoo. And I wanted it to be Luke 12:24 with “Blake’s birds” from his “Consider the Ravens” drawing. My parents scheduled the appointment for me and I started to design my tattoo. However, I really struggled deciding on a font. I mean really struggled. You might be aware of how much of a font snob I am. I think that’s the graphic designer in me coming out, but it’s bad. So bad to the point that I can’t always focus in class because a teacher is presenting something in Arial font. I hate Arial. Rant over. BUT ANYWAYS, stylish fonts change like the seasons in Iowa, so how on earth was I supposed to pick one now that I would have on my body forever. Finally, it dawned on me. The importance of this verse in my life was initially because of Blake. I wanted it in his handwriting. 

 

Which lead me to the next problem. Nowhere in Blake’s notebook did he actually write “Luke 12:24”. Thankfully, we kept a lot of his school stuff, so between Spanish assignments, math tests, and photoshop, I was able to piece together the letters and numbers. 

 

Five days after my eighteenth birthday, my mom, aunt, cousin, and I made a trip to Iowa City so I could get tatted. Seriously, y’all, I was so incredibly nervous. I was imagining it hurting so so bad and never healing. And wow, it definitely hurt, but not nearly as bad as I’d prepared myself for! 

 

While there might still be a social stigma against tattoos, I’ve realized how powerful they can be. For me, it’s a constant reminder that my worth lies solely in God and that His plan for my life will always prevail. That’s some empowering stuff that I’ll never regret having as a part of me forever.