Tattoos, Parents, & the Rebellious Heart

I just read a short article by Russell Moore answering a 19 year-old's following question: "Should I get a Christian tattoo (even if my parents don't like it)?" What I really appreciated about his response was not his answer (though I did completely agree with it), but his wise thought for the teenager at the very end of his response.

Earlier in the article, the teenager says he (or she) would like to get a cross tattoo with the words, "Flee Immorality: You Were Bought With a Price" to serve "as a measure of accountability for himself as the years go by, in case the zeal he has for the gospel ever wanes & he's ever in a place of temptation." Good motives, but I hope he hears Dr. Moore's reply.

"A tattoo won’t stop you from wrecking your life, no matter what it says. The rebellious heart gets what it wants, and will do what it takes to get there. An immoral man can easily scoff at the tattoo, or even blaspheme as a result of it in the throes of his rebellion. Instead of working to embed the gospel on your skin, embed it on your conscience. Cultivate repentance, confession, and seeking the life of Christ. The answer for you isn’t your own skin ink but Someone Else’s nail scars."