Linking up today with Jennifer Lee at TellHisStory
If you have ever been to our home, you know that we have a LOT of dead animals hanging on our walls. My man enjoys the shooting sports, and our home holds ample evidence of that. There are a few walls, however, where the deadheads have not taken over. This wall is one of those.
When you walk into our front door, this is the wall on the left. I began the cross display that you see on this wall a few years ago, and I really love the variety of crosses that have found their way there. Some have been gifts, while others Greg or I purchased specifically for the wall. When people come to our home, the crosses are one of the first things they notice…..after the deadheads.
What most people do not notice are these:
When Greg and I moved back to Blairsville and built our home, I was in the early stages of renewing my relationship and walk with the Lord. I had studied Deuteronomy 6 and took the passage very seriously, especially verse 9. I desired a home that was wholly dedicated to the Lord. At the time construction was taking place on the main floor of our home, I hit upon an idea that I decided to incorporate into the construction. Let me remind you of Deuteronomy 6: 4-9:
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
While we were in the framing stage of the main living floor of the house, I emailed friends and family, asking them to come by the construction site and write their favorite Scripture on one of the outer framing boards. Those who could not come by emailed their verses to me, and I wrote them. I left several permanent markers around the construction site and every day verses appeared. It was such a blessing to read what had been written as the days went by. There are Bible verses encircling the outer edges of our main living floor—not a verse on every board, but each room has at least 2 verses in it. Literally, our home is surrounded by the Word of God.
I knew that years later I would never remember who placed verses or what verses they wrote, so I placed all the information on two sheets of paper and framed them. That is what these are:
There are verses from family, friends, co-workers, the pastor who married us, our builder’s wife, and some of the construction crew working on the house. There is even a quote that was special to my Mother that she wrote on a board. My prayer was that the verses would be a testimony to the construction crew, and anyone else who happened by. I got more than a few questions from the crew about it. I pray that one day in the future, if the sheetrock is torn down, these verses will be a testimony of Christ to those who see them. I believe that the hiding of God’s Word in the outer walls of our home is an unseen reminder of His presence in this place.
I wrote the Deuteronomy passage on one of the boards in our living room. That passage is also encased in a mezuzah that is attached to the door frame of the door that we use most often to enter and leave the house.
Our Mezuzah
I believe there is power in God’s Word as we speak it over our homes, otherwise God would never have instructed the Israelites of antiquity to write Scripture on their door frames. His Word is life and power to us, if we will only appropriate it.
I’d love to hear about ways you incorporate Scripture into your homes and daily life. Share in the comments section as you feel led.
