Alisa Kuppe is a founding member of Ecclesia and is area director for Younglife in Mercer County.
I have a tattoo. Do you? Admittedly, when I put it on the back of my neck, I was 18, fairly certain it was meaningful enough that I wanted it for the rest of my life, but I now realize that daily, I have people who see my neck and know that I have a bold proclamation that I believe in the cross. A former ex-boyfriend actually once told me that the tattoo intimidated him because he knew that placing such a prominent thing on my body meant that I was serious about my faith - and that scared him.
Perhaps you may not be thinking of what you display on your body, but as we are in a season of nesting/cleaning constantly/living more hours in our home than average because of this pandemic, you have thought about displaying bible verses in your home. I think this is a beautiful example of your faith and a tangible way of surrounding yourself with scripture. But as with the neck tattoo, remember that your bold proclamations need meaning and thought behind each decision.
As we have said at Ecclesia: words create worlds. These words can create conversations, bring welcome comfort, but they may also create intimidation.
In my humble opinion, the most important aspect of having bible verses displayed in a home is how can it be practical, and a gentle, thoughtful reminder of who God is and what the Bible is doing in your life. Perhaps some questions to ask yourself is:
Is this verse for a gentle reminder for myself/the family or is it a public proclamation?
Is it in a place where I will remember the verse/ be viewing it?
Is this bible verse going to help with the relationships in my life?
Does this bible verse reflect a value that I want to be surrounding myself/my family with?
As God speaks to you with his beautiful promises in His word, I do hope that you choose to surround yourself with scripture. Once you have thought through your intentions and found some verses that speak to you and bring life to you / your family, I have some ways you may want to consider displaying bible verses below
5 ways to display bible verses in your home:
Put it where you are active / exercise - perhaps it’s by the mirror you face when you do a squat or perhaps it’s on your workout bench. A place where you are physically pouring into your body, can be a beautiful place to also fill your soul.
Put it where you create music - on top of our piano sits a small reminder of some friends who left New Jersey several years ago, a verse that keeps bringing life to us - long after they are gone. Creating music is worshipful - why not also add a verse to go along with that.
Put it where you know you will return (water cooler/fridge) - every day, I fill my children’s water bottles, and every day, I see a list of places that I can pray over and a verse to meditate on. It is guaranteed I will return to this place daily, so I want to put reminders there of God’s prayers or promises that I want to remember
Put it where it may surprise you, but it becomes a beautiful reminder when you see it again (hidden behind clothing/ in your sock drawer) - whenever my laundry area is cleared, hidden behind my hanging items is a sweet reward of a bible verse.
If you want to be public, put it where it is meaningful for others and it can help you with relationship building - God wants you to use His words to love others and encourage you.
May these suggestions help you on your journey of discovering truth in God’s word, reminding you of the many promises that He has for you, even amidst the chaos of the world today.