Tattoos and Taylor Swift

I apologize in advance for the title - I knew it would get your attention and I couldn’t help myself with the alliteration. But this post has very little to do with either tattoos or Taylor Swift, and much more to do with some things I’ve been learning about what is and isn’t worth sharing my thoughts on.

The only thing those two things have in common is that they’re both in the category of “things Christians like to argue about,” and the fact that I’ve very subtly hinted at my opinions in my Instagram stories. Just one brief post, without feeling the need to explain exactly how I feel about them - which feels like a bit of an achievement. 

Why? Because 20 year old me would never have let the world know that I got a tattoo or am listening to Taylor Swift without at least a 2000 word essay on exactly why I feel justified in doing so. I could build a pretty good argument about the exact context of Leviticus 19:23 and freedom in Christ and common grace and discernment. I may not change your mind on the topic itself, but I could at least leave you thoroughly convinced that I’ve thought it through.

And it would all be mostly for me.

For me to make sure that no one can say I am simply being careless with my spiritual growth. It would have little benefit for you, the reader, because these are the kind of topics that have been discussed a million times ever since Peter tried bacon. You can find plenty of other 2000 word essays on what you should eat or wear or listen to. Chances are, you already have an opinion and whatever I have to say about it isn’t going to change your mind. 

But if you’re trying to make a decision for yourself about these things, this blog or any other is the last place you should be looking anyway. Dig into the word of God. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Ask the people around you, the ones who know you and have the right to speak into your life. 

I know it’s part of our online culture to toss around ideas about everything all day, and it’s not always bad, but sometimes it feels like we’re more interested in discussing things for the sake of discussion, when there is actually no decision to be made at the moment. And so it has been a breath of fresh air for me to realize that I just don’t have to say something about everything. 

I realize you may point out the irony in writing a whole post about why I’m not writing a whole post on something else. And believe me, I have hit backspace so many times as I slip back into the habit of justifying my own decisions. But I keep asking myself: am I writing this to defend my decision for my sake, or to explain my decision for someone else’s sake? 

In the right context, I’m not afraid to share my thought process on tattoos or Taylor Swift or any other decision I’ve made about what to watch or listen to or eat or drink or wear. I’m not saying those decisions don’t matter and we should never discuss them. 

But it can be so easy to get caught up in discussing these little things that we forget about the big things, like loving God and loving your neighbor and saturating your mind in the word of God and pouring out your heart to him in prayer.

And so this is not a post to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do; just a simple reminder of where to keep your focus. Because when you focus on the main things, all the little things become much clearer too.