For someone who has been a follower of Jesus for 60 years now, I found myself wrestling with that odd question recently. Where can I put Jesus?
As a housewarming gift, a dear friend gave Steve and me a beautiful statue of Jesus with the compelling pose and caption of “Come to me.” It’s heavy. Made of marble. It’s 19.5″ high and 11″ wide. It is intricately and delicately carved.
It might surprise you to know that I don’t decorate my house in an overtly “Christian” way. Don’t worry. There are certainly no NON-Christian items, but I just don’t generally lean toward ornate crosses or a lot of cross-stitched Bible verses. Could it be because we have so many grandchildren who enjoy seeing THEIR photos displayed around the house? I do love seeing them smile when they find their faces on our walls and propped on our desks and shelves.
Come to think of it, no photographs exist of what Jesus actually looked like. Right? All of the artists, in their efforts to capture the countenance and essence of His face, His posture and His “presence” have merely speculated based on His known ethnicity and the culture of His day. But, also as I reflect, Steve and I remember growing up with likenesses of Jesus, particularly the Last Supper, on the walls of our grandparents’ homes.
But, back to my dilemma. Where would be the best place to put Jesus, or, more accurately, this STATUE of Jesus?
The entrance just seemed a little busy with a great likelihood of having the statue be ignored or, worse, knocked off and broken.
The flat surfaces in the kitchen and family room also seemed a little risky with food messes and wayward pool cues or Nerf footballs. The shelves beside the fireplace weren’t tall enough.
The dining room just seemed a little too odd, for some unknown reason.
Finally, I settled on a table in the small foyer into the master bedroom. The statue sits beside a lamp — a reminder to me that HE is “the light of the world” — and in front of a painting of a bird, which makes me remember the song: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” Our bedroom is a place of rest, quiet and solitude, and as the statue depicts, Jesus spoke these comforting words:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
In a deeper sense, the statue has directed me to think about Jesus in internal, spiritual terms. Where DO I want Jesus to be? In which rooms is He honored? Would He be welcome at our table, on our couch, during our family fun times? Do I want to put him high up on a shelf out of sight or does this statue help me stay on track? Does it keep me constantly aware of His presence? Can I use it to point others to Him?
Jesus is a precious gift in every definition of the word.
The statue is Beautiful and a reminder always Of where do I place Jesus? “Before me, around, me, and in me”
Where you placed it is perfect, a quite place for the children to come and rest and see.
❣️
This has amused me. Neither do I have pics of Jesus but I do have some Scripture pics. A friend told me the cross stitch of
J – esus O – thers Y – ourself changed his life. He knew what his problem was – his priorities were out of order. Jesus said His
Word does not return void so I feel this is proof. The main problem with our home is clutter so my goal is to reduce that problem!
Laura’s book inspired me for a while but then I go back to same ole habits! She may reform me yet! I hope so!!
Cluttering habits are some of the hardest for me to break, too, Jeanne. Right now, I have the motivation of a brand new house, but it is a constant challenge. Thanks for stopping to leave a comment.