"Tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul." -Michelle Delio

"My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story." -Johnny Depp

Both Michelle Delio and Johnny Depp channel my feelings about my tattoos perfectly in these quotes. Tattoos are art and expression and a method to strengthen the individuality of those sporting tattoos.

I definitely agree that there are some extremely questionable tattoos that are being worn in the world today. However, what if those questionable tattoos have some sort of a deeper meaning to the one with the ink? Matthew 7: 1 and 2 tells us: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judge, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (NIV) Is tattoos having a deeper meaning than what they outwardly present always the case? Absolutely not! Of course there will be some people that just walk into a shop and decide on a design on a whim - no thought process went into the decision.

For myself, I got my first tattoo for my 16th birthday. In fact, this might be my most meaningful tattoo because my mom and actually have the exact same tattoo just in different locations. This tattoo is the infinity symbol that contains the word 'hope.' I got a fair amount of backlash at my small high school because this is a "typical tattoo." I was absolutely aware of that when I made the decision that this was the tattoo I wanted permanently etched into my skin. For me, this tattoo has a much deeper meaning than just a pretty design in my skin. This tattoo stands for hope for my future. Hope that I can be the person that God intends for me to be. Hope that I will be successful and make the right choices. Hope that I will be able to live up to these expectations that I set for myself forever: infinity.

Tattoo number two came on my 17th birthday. This was a significantly larger tattoo consisting of a dandelion losing its "white floaties," These white floaties are coming off of the dandelion and changing to crows as the tattoo climbs my leg. Finally, this tattoo reads "This too shall pass." For me, this tattoo signifies change. I actually am not very fond of change so this shows me every day that change is inevitable and will come whether you are prepared for it or not. Nothing will stay the same, whether good or bad. You will never get this exact moment back.

The third tattoo is a cross made up of the word 'faith.' This tattoo reminds me of my decision to pursue a computer science/web systems and design degree. My personal interpretation of this tattoo is to put my faith in God forward and trust that he'll help me keep my life on track.

My tattoos may seem like I just got them because they're pretty or because everyone else was getting similar ones. Nevertheless, my tattoos coincide and tell a story from my personal perspective. My tattoos mean something to me.