I have two little toy Jesus figures. You’ve probably seen them around, they’re about an inch tall and you can buy them in packs of a hundred or so, and people leave them around.

Well, my two little Jesus’s live on the shelf above my desk.

Fun fact: that’s pretty close to where the real Jesus lives for me.

I rarely carry Jesus around in my heart. Sure, I’ll take him off the shelf and put him in my heart on Sundays for church and Tuesdays for youth group, and when I do volunteer things, but to school or shopping or sitting at home?

Jesus often lives on my shelf.

He also lives in my closet.

When I went to drivers ed, the dark black eyeliner, skull shirt, and baggy jeans came out and Jesus…was shoved into the closet. The shame of being different and Christian was painfully obvious to me, yet I ignored it and went on with my life.

How come the faith that I so proudly profess on here is often hidden in my outside-of-home life? Shouldn’t I make my life and heart a better home for the King of the Universe?

Sometimes I wonder, wouldn’t he rather be on a shelf than my crusty dusty heart?

Well, after talking to myself for a few minutes, I realized, “Nah, he’d rather be with me.”

This is not to say that my heart is a great place to live. But let me explain: Jesus wants to be with you no matter what. And if he lives in your heart, then he’s going to make your heart clean, full of light, and overall a better place than it was before he was there.

And fun fact: Jesus was born in a stable. His dad was a carpenter. His life was full of dirt and grime and likely not ever clean. That was just the time that he lived in!

He’s not somebody who is going to grimace at the contents of your heart. Instead he says, “Let me get my broom and vacuum and we’ll clean this beautiful place up!”

So what’s the point of this post? I talked about where Jesus lives and what happens if he lives in your heart.

But the main point is this: Jesus wants to be in your life, not on the shelf. But he’s not going to get mad if you leave him on the shelf. Instead he’ll say, “I’m waiting for you, take your time.”

So where does Jesus live in your life? How can you get him off the shelf and into your heart? And what would it look like for Jesus to clean up your heart?

‘“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord . “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. ‘
Isaiah 1:18 NIV

Thanks for reading, have a great day!
~Willow <3