How to Choose Home Decor that Sparks a Love for Jesus

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. Intentionally Evaluate

 

2. Create Beautiful Empty Spaces

 

3. Make a Visual Spiritual Road Map

 

So let’s get started! 

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.

  1. Pictures of Jesus with Children  (place in kids rooms)
  2. Landscapes
  3. Stars
  4. Toys
  5. Crosses
  6. Candles
  7. Photos or Mementos
  8. Rocks or Tactile Objects
  9. Wall Art

 

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

10 Simple Ways to Invite God Into Your Child’s Day

10 Simple Ways to Invite God Into Your Child’s Day

              

Reading Time: 4 min 22 sec

I don’t know about you but I want my children to grow up in an environment where they instinctively invite God into every aspect of their day. I want to give them a leg up in this thing called…life.

 I want to do the heavy lifting so my kids can

reap the benefits. 

Don’t we all want that for our kids? In order to foster such a God-centered environment, we have to be intentional as parents. 

 Intentionality, an intimidating word that can evoke the same fear as the word “budget”. The word that screams, “This parenting gig is just too overwhelming, I can’t add or even think about one more thing. We are failing miserably. We aren’t enough. They are going to need therapy.” 

 Before we all run screaming from the room, take a deep breath, and realize that it while it does take some effort,  we have the benefit of working in tandem with the Holy Spirit.  

 

Here is a quick overview of ten ways that you can encourage a God-centered environment at home.  These tips are deceptively simple and yet when practiced consistently (not all at once) the impact can be HUGE!

  • Start the Day with Prayer

  • Memorize a Passage of Scripture

  • Light a Candle

  • Read a story

  • Take a walk

  • Pray over booboos

  • Pray for the needs of others

  • The Power of Silence

  • Reflect back over the day

  • Pray blessing over your child

Each activity is only 2-15 minutes long. *BTW, all of these activities have the perk of being effective in your life as well.

 

Here are 10 very simple ways to invite God into Your Child’s Day

 

  1. Start the day with a Quick Prayer inviting God into your child’s day.

 Before the morning chaos starts, grab thirty seconds and your ragtag brood and invite God into your day. It makes such a difference! It makes all the sibling fights, the race against the clock, the spilled syrup and dog vomit all over the ground so… much..easier (I said easier not great).

 

  1. Take Time to work on Memorizing a passage of Scripture

 Write down a short passage of scripture to practice memorizing each day for a couple of minutes.  You can also turn your verses into songs with or without hand motions (not that I know from personal experience or anything). 

 

  1. Light a Candle to remind your child that God is present with us all day.

 Something about that flickering flame is fascinating to young and old alike. It helps remind us to slow down and remember that we are not alone, that the God of the universe is present today with us.

 

  1. Read a Story or section from your child’s Bible. Discuss.

When you get to the end of the story, don’t be quick to fill the silence, with a clarification. Allow your child to sit in silence whether for 5 seconds or a minute. The Holy Spirit is at work and your child will internalize exactly as much or as little as they are ready for. You might be surprised by their insights.

5. Take a Walk outside. Stop and look at whatever draws their attention.

 Yes, you might be staring at a dead cicada for fifteen minutes, but take off the productive hat (and put your cell phone in your back pocket) and give them the gift your undivided attention.  Join them in marveling at God’s creation. Enjoy the slower pace. 

  1. Pray over boo-boos every..single..time.

I don’t know about you but my children, big and small, get hurt like a thousand times a day. From scraped knees to hurt pinkies, stopping to pray for healing is such an easy way to include God in the ordinary parts of our day.  It is amazing to see how such a simple five-second prayer brings comfort, peace, and calm to my children.

It really enforces the truth that God cares about every part of our                            lives even the small splinters in our thumbs. 

 

It is beautiful to see the kids instinctively gather together and pray over each other when they get hurt (they get a lot of practice throughout the day). 

 

  1. Take Five minutes and as a Family Pray for the needs of 1-2 other people.

This is a great activity because it can literally be done anywhere at any time (no craft supplies needed, Hurray!).  You could focus on using this tool ongoing or for a season as it really fosters a heart of service and love towards others. 

 

  1. Spend 2 minutes of Silence in the car. Just being with Jesus. No demands.

 WORD of Warning: This.. can.. be.. so.. powerful. 

However, you can’t just shout, “Kids, we are going to be silent for the next two minutes. You WILL SPEND this time with Jesus!”  It doesn’t work, trust me.

 I would suggest starting off with a quick explanation, “Kids we are going to spend some time just hanging out with Jesus in silence, enjoying his presence.” 

And a quick two sentence prayer, “God we love you, and we love spending time with you. Be with us during this time.”  

I would encourage you to set realistic expectations for this activity. If your children have never practiced silence before don’t feel frustrated when little Johnny makes faces at his sister, and weird sounds start erupting from the back seat (it will happen).  This can be a meaningful activity but as with anything it takes practices.  Stick with it! 

And to end say something really profound like, “Thank you, God. Amen.”

9. Bedtime- Spend 5 minutes looking back over your day. Ask God to highlight anything that you need to reflect on.

For a season, we ended every day by praying and asking God to lead us back over our day, both the happy and the sad, and highlight anything we needed to pay attention to.

  I would ask questions like, “What brought you joy today? What made you sad today?” paying attention to their emotions, and giving those feelings and that situation over to God. We would then pray for God’s blessing over tomorrow.

 Allowing your child space to reflect over their day without jumping in with suggestions is necessary for this practice. Some of the most special times that I have had with my child have been during this bedtime prayer.

 

  1. Finish the Day by Praying a Blessing over your Child.

Keep it simple. My personal preference is to pray using words that my child understands with zero explanation required.

 Though my blessing seems to vary at times the main heart of it stays the same.  I pray that God would watch over my children all of the days of their lives, that their heart would be soft to things of God, and that their ears would hear his voice.

 It has been a beautiful, simple part of our everyday life. My kids now won’t go to sleep without “praying the prayer”.

Grab your FREE Deeper Life Beginners Guide and join our community of moms who are hungry for more of Jesus in their lives and in the lives of their children.

 

 

 

If you try any of these activities, let us know! Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest. about you? What are your favorite ways to increase your child’s awareness of God? 

 If you try any of these activities, let us know! Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follo

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