As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m a bit obsessed with the fleur-de-lis right now. About a year ago, I heard this incredible piece on NPR about the Maori culture from New Zealand and how every detail about their tattoos has meaning: the placement, the image, the color, etc. More than likely, I won’t follow through with my tattoo plan, but if I ever do, I have settled on the fleur-de-lis.

I had been searching for a symbol that would represent what Christ has done in my life, and when I learned that fleur-de-lis are a symbol for the Trinity, I knew I had found the symbol I was looking for. The more I read about it, the more I love it. For one, it’s a stylized lily, my favorite flower, and another symbol in Christology for Christ and the resurrection. For two, it’s heavily associated with militaries and monarchies–a reminder that I am God’s child and am therefore royalty and that the battle always belongs to the Lord.

But I had also been looking for something that also represented my marriage to Chris and our devotion to the Lord. What’s beautiful about marriage is that it’s an earthly example of the Trinity, so the fleur-de-lis also represents my marriage: Chris and I on either side with Christ in the center. Lilies were also the principle flowers in all our wedding flower arrangements, so you know…awesome.

So I know a tattoo is unlikely (Chris frowns on them, for they are “unattractive on a woman.”), but I’ve thought about the other details of a fleur-de-lis tattoo. Color red outlined in dark red, which represents the blood that Christ shed on the cross for my sins. Our principle wedding color was also red, so you know. And I would naturally get the tattoo on the inside of my left wrist as a representation of where Christ was nailed to the cross.

So no, I haven’t thought about getting a tattoo at all (hey, my mom reads this blog, so officially, I will never get a tattoo), but I am thinking the fleur-de-lis is pretty cool this week.