How to Choose Home Decor that Sparks a Love for Jesus

Reading Time: 4 min 39 sec

Have you ever walked into someone else’s house and knew what they were about with once glance? 

I will never forget when my husband and I went house hunting many years ago. We entered a home and in a couple of rooms, there were small crosses above the doors. They were small and not in your face, but you noticed them, and immediately you knew that faith was important to this family.

Whether it’s your favorite sports team, your children, miniature trains or the latest design trend, your house speaks volumes about who you are and what you value.

I have always resisted putting up “religious” décor in my house. For one, I was totally traumatized growing up in the era of glass figurines and sappy Christian art. I also didn’t want my house to feel dated and not fit my design “aesthetic”. Ha! So I totally dismissed “religious” art as a) something old people do and b) something I would never do… until two things happened.

1) My husband mentioned that he wished we had some art that reminded us of our faith in our home. That conversation went over well.  (SHOCK and HORROR were my reactions. Did I even know my husband?! )

2) We had kids… 

It’s amazing the lengths we will grow and stretch all for the sake of these helpless babies. I was reading a book on the spiritual development of children and a point the author made really jumped out at me.  She said that “Pictures have a powerful impact on children, and it is important for parents to know what they are seeing.” Catherine Stonehouse, Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey.

Children are experiential learners, you can tell them what to believe and how to walk it out, but that advice only becomes formational through experience and the power of the Holy Spirit.  My thoughts were immediately drawn back to my previous conversation with my husband. 

What would it look like if the items in our home were a constant reminder to

turn our eyes towards Jesus? 

There are so many things that distract us from spending our time on the most important thing, a love relationship with Jesus.  I wanted my children to grow up  knowing from the time they were born that they were deeply loved by God AND experiencing his lavish love for them.

I realized that I could partner with where my children were at developmentally by intentionally choosing items that communicated our family’s values, and the importance of a relationship with Jesus in our lives.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can begin the process of turning our homes into havens. A safe place where after a long day we can come and refocus our attention on Jesus.

What does a haven look like for you?

Shocker of shocker my life was transformed by having these little objects as reminders to STOP throughout my day and refocus my attention on Jesus.

As always, let’s get practical about how to make this happen in real life. We are going to be talking about how to:

1. Intentional Evaluation 

When I first started this process, I walked through my house and took a hard look at the general makeup of each room; what was on the walls, the decorations, the furniture etc.  

I asked myself these questions:

1. What story does this room tell?
2. Does that story align with our family values?
3. Do I need to remove or add something from/to this room?
4. Does this item/room spark joy or draw my heart towards Jesus?

You need to go through the process of asking yourself these questions otherwise you will be sending conflicting messages to your family and others.

What do the items in your home tell you

about your family values?

2. Create Beautiful Empty Spaces

I realized after walking through my home that I had bought a number of things just to fill a spot. The items were nice but they did not especially bring me joy, they were just …there. 

I am talking about the ascetics of a room not how many ice cream scoops you have crammed into that drawer.

Remove items that either:

a) Don’t fit your values

b) Don’t draw your heart towards Jesus

c.) Don’t bring you joy

Give yourself a pat on the back! Woohoo! You are that much closer to creating a space that is rich with meaning.   

Do not rush to fill those empty spaces, but practice patience by waiting to find the perfect item for that spot (or no item at all).

I actually had a number of bare walls (in my main living spaces) and spots in my house after completing this exercise.  It was actually a challenge for me to be okay with having an “unfinished” space. 

Prepare yourself to have conversations with friends and family who want to know if you are redecorating? 🙂   It is always a fun conversation to talk about how you are in the process of creating a haven for your family.

 3. Make a Visual Spiritual Road Map

The word curate as a verb means to, “to collect, organize, select and take charge of”.  I encourage you to see yourself as the curator of a gallery, lovingly choosing each work of art with care.  These items do not fall into your hands overnight, it is a journey.  

I would look for items that have a personal story, spark joy or draw your heart to Jesus. For instance, it could be a landscape that reminds us of God’s creation or my child’s artwork from Sunday school. Each piece will look different, feel different, but as long as it turns my/or my child’s eyes towards Jesus it accomplishes its goal.  When you do add pieces intentionally place them in high traffic areas around your house. 

Some Ideas* to get you started: 

*Etsy is a great starting place for finding specific and one of a kind décor.

Over time you begin to create a visual spiritual roadmap in the rooms of your home.

I can walk through my house noticing specific items and reflecting over where I/or my family was in our journeys towards Jesus when I chose that item.  It’s a beautiful reminder of how God has been at work in the quietness and craziness of our ordinary days.

What about you? What are your favorite ways to curate an atmosphere of Joy and Jesus?  Please feel free to leave me a comment and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest

Want to Dive in Deeper? Check out these Resources:

1. Liturgy of the Ordinary – Tish Harrison Warren

2. Organized Simplicity – Tsh Oxenreider you try any of these activities, let us know! Leave a comment, and don