home decorations

One of the most fun parts of homemaking is slowly decorating your home so that it is welcoming, comfortable, and beautiful.

Of course, anyone's who's visited a convent or a monastery realizes that "decoration" doesn't need to be ornate in order to serve the purpose of hospitality or beauty. A crucifix above a bed is enough to tell a guest, "Christ is here, and in his name, you are welcome."

In fact, when pondering home decorating, it's a good idea to ask yourself, "What would be the purpose of decoration in my home?"

It'll vary from person to person, but one good answer for the Christian is: "The purpose of decoration in my home is to remind me that I am a part of the Church, even while I am not attending services."

Crosses, or icons, or Bible verses on the wall are obvious, and good, ways to do this. Still, you can go further and ask, "What's the purpose of my home? What does my Lord want to do in my home?"

Maybe you have the gift of hospitality, and the answer for you involves putting together a guest room where missionaries can stay. Maybe you're a good cook, and investing in your kitchen means you can make meals for the sick more easily. Maybe you have young children, and a bookcase their size filled with Bible stories is what ought to adorn your living room.


I also think it's not a bad idea to put beautiful things in your home, especially if you are home a lot, and if the beautiful things remind you why you're doing what you're doing. For example, almost by accident, my home's been decorated with several pictures of fruit. At least two were wedding gifts, and I've found myself picking up more over the years. And, believe it or not, these pictures encourage me when I'm having a hard day, because when I look at them, I'm reminded that my children (who might be making me nutty) are the fruit of my marriage. That I ought to be letting the fruits of the Spirit grow in my life. That a tree is known by the fruit it bears, and what are my actions saying about the Lord's work in my life right now? That I am to be fruitful . . . etc, etc. It's not a theme I would have planned, but show me a (non-tacky) picture of a bunch of grapes, and I'll find you a space on my wall to put it.


I like lots of plants in my home. They remind me to grow in the Lord. To nourish myself on his word. And they prompt me to ponder God as the Creator.

I have an ivy plant that I grew from a cutting in my wedding bouquet, and it reminds me to be faithful to my husband.

There are crosses over our bedroom doors, and they remind me that of all the things I have to be thankful of, "above all" I am to be thankful for the Lord's "inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace and for the hope of glory." And when I see the crucifix in my kids' room, I am thankful for how the Lord protects my children.


There are all kinds of symbols in the world, and no lack of symbols that are Christian. I encourage you to find decorations with meaning when you're looking at what you put in your home, and to let what you already have remind you of the things that we're supposed to be always keeping in mind. Let everything be to God's glory. Even pillowcases. Even planters. Even pictures of fruit that you never asked for but would now never get rid of at any price.


peace of Christ to you,
Jessica