Jasmine Bautista | Contributing Writer

Tattoos are a method of marking your body that has been going on for thousands of years. So what is the meaning behind them? Is it just a trend? Do people permanently mark their bodies to tell a story or remember an important time of their life?

For Digital Media student, Deidree Friesen, it was a story she wanted to keep close. Friesen has a total of three tattoos. Her first tattoo is a Christian fish. This tattoo was a symbol of her becoming a Christian her junior year of high school, committing to new beliefs and a way of life.

“I got this tattoo because it is near my hand, and I see it all the time, it is a reminder for me of whatever I do, do it for God, because he gave me these talents and I think I should use them for a good cause and give back,” said Friesen.

The Christian fish is a reminder; a way to say thank you and appreciate what she was given. The placement ensured that it would remind her of her creativity and skills to know what they are worth and to say thank you daily for them.

Bible verse tattoos are popular in this time. Many people get them as a symbol of belief. When having doubts, Friesen would turn to the bible for support. She would open the bible and flip through at random, pick a verse and read it. Ephesians 5:8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” She landed on this specific verse three times during some struggles in her life.

“It is a reminder of how I was lost but now I am found,” said Friesen.

Although it seems like a cliché it is something real. It is a reminder of what type of person she once was and who she is now.

Friesen’s third and final tattoo is six birds across her left collarbone. It was inspired by the bible verse Mathew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

“It is a reminder that God is always going to take care of me no matter what,” said Friesen.

Friesen was involved with Youth With a Mission (YWAM), a youth Christian camp. She was raising money to go to Thailand and Cambodia. Almost every time she would try to raise money for a mission trip, the money wouldn’t come through until the last possible moment, but it was always exactly what she needed. Friesen has six birds because there are six members in her family; a reminder that they have been her biggest support in missions next to God.

For Friesen, the three tattoos that mark her body are daily reminders of God’s gifts to her. All three tattoos represent important experiences in her life. She began her journey realizing her true talent of creativity, overcoming doubts and restrains, and understanding how family is always there to support her no matter what. Yet, God will forever in her eyes be the biggest supporter of all.