Ink Talks

Conversations about faith and God happen in most peculiar of places. My favorite: tattoo shops. There's something about having a few hours to pass and desperately needing a conversation to distract from the pain of the procedure. And because I'm me, and my tattoos all have some tie in with my faith, conversation happens. And even if I am with a friend or my Sibling while they get their ink done, conversation drifts to what I "do." So conversations about God begin.

And really, I think they're my favorite because tattoo artists, perhaps better than most people, can understand the absolute unique faith that every individual has. Just as a person's body is their own personal canvas for beautiful ink and piercings, each person's heart and mind are uniquely linked to God. Their faith is as individual as they are.

Today, I went with a friend to get a new piece on her ankle. We were in the shop for 3.5 hours, swapping stories about how we were raised, how we express our faith, the stories behind our ink, and how we will raise (or are raising) our kids to believe that there is no one answer. In this artist's words: "There are 6.5 billion answers."

So here's to Ink Talks and finding space and time to talk about God in all the places no one expects.

(Photo from http://derek.broox.com)