Excuse me for not striking you as the kind of person that has body art. I may not have 27 tattoos and piercings, but I do have a few that I love, that I have chosen to wear discreetly. It's not that I'm ashamed of them, it's how I grew up. My parents are pastors, and their image is everything. My parents are probably some of the most spiritual people I have ever met. So connected to God, truly it's a blessing to learn from them, and I love Jesus too—but I'm a wild child. So as much as I want to be connected to the good Lord spiritually, and be that perfect person—I'm not, and I know that I never will be.

I'll admit, I'm just that person that does what's in her heart, but I don't think it's a bad thing. You can have tattoos and piercings and still love Jesus wholly and freely. I may not be cookie cutter or little miss perfect, but I do love God, and I respect my parents enough to keep those things hidden in the house of God and around others who might not like the idea of the preachers daughter flaunting her art around.

When I told my parents about my tattoo, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I hid it an entire year before bringing it up. My mom cried, and I probably should've figured that much. But much to my surprise, my dad had a completely different reaction. He said he saw it but couldn't believe it, took a deep sigh, and said "Ay Rutth." When I asked him if he was mad, he said he couldn't make me do anything about it and that I'm grown now. He said it wasn't his preference, but it wasn't his choice to make. Then he joked about it, and I asked him if I could give him a hug without him slapping me senseless. I did get my hug, and I never got slapped. Thank God.

To make my point here—last time I checked, you didn't have to be a certain type of person to have tattoos or piercings. Even people who love Jesus can have those. Also in my opinion, they're not pointless pieces of ink or unnecessary holes.

And if you're wondering, my tattoo says, "It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then..."

That statement rings so true to me. Each day I'm going to make decisions that will change me as a person, hopefully for the better. It won't always be for the better though. Some days I'll make some really poor choices and some really bad mistakes, but at the end of it all I shouldn't dwell on that. It's never too late to be brand new, so really there is no use going back to the past, because you're different now. You continue to be different.

Some day when I'm 70 years old, I'll be able to look down on it, trace my hand on it and smile. Smile because I can't regret being reminded that I'm not who I was when I was 21, 36 or 57. So don't be ashamed of the art you want on your body.

I am mindful of what 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, because I have it on my mirror and I see it every day. I know my body is a temple, I know I am not my own, and I know I have been bought at a price, but ultimately the decision to get body art is between you and God. How does your heart and conscience convict you? Do you have freedom in Christ and a clear conscience before the Lord regarding the decision to get said body art? If so, only the Lord himself can judge you.

So if I don't strike you as the kind of person, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that there was a certain type of person allowed to get body art. If you asked me if I would remove it if I had the choice, I would say no. If you asked me if I'm inclined to get more, I will most likely say yes. But like I said, this decision is between me and God.

If you are a believer and you got your art before being saved, and you see it as a barrier- don't. You were a different person then.

I hope this article shed light on someone who has been thinking about getting something, but they're still on the fence. I hope it brought wisdom to new believers. I also hope this article reminds others that you don't have to be cookie cutter perfect, and that there's nothing wrong with choosing what goes on your body.