Christ at Home in Our Hearts (02/25/2026)

One of my New Years Resolutions that I’m working on is the cleaning out and clearing out of every cupboard and drawer of my home. I’ve lived in my current home for 10 years. It’s time! And as I started to clean a dresser in the guest bedroom, I recalled the day decades ago when I realized I wasn’t giving Christ room to dwell in my heart but only space to visit.

When our kids all graduated and moved on to new lives, we found ourselves with three bedrooms that could be repurposed. And so, I got to work on that. We painted to refresh, eliminated some furniture to make them more spacious, and repopulated the rooms with new things. When my children came to visit for a family gathering the first time after our projects were completed, my one daughter was horrified that I’d eliminated the dresser in her previous room. I tried to console her, assuring her she wasn’t come to live there anymore, she would just be visiting.

That night, as I pondered the day, I had an “Ah ha!” moment when I realized that through the years I’d remodeled my spirituality and in the process, I was inviting Christ to visit but not really making room within me and my life for Him to dwell. Christ had no dresser room in my heart.

One of my favorite scripture passages (yes, I have hundreds of favorites) is Ephesians 3 and Paul’s prayer or the faithful and I am especially fond of verse 17: “And that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you will be rooted and grounded in love.” That day, decades ago, I realized I was relegating Christ to “visitor” only.

I frequently read my favorite verses in different translations. I usually stick with the New American or New Revised Standard because of their more literal translations. But one day I happened upon The Living Bible translation of my favorite verse: “And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.” And that translation, while more of a paraphrase of the actual text, spoke loudly to my dilemma of inviting Christ into my heart to dwell.

As I clean and clear my home during this year in keeping with my New Years Resolution and as I simultaneously seek to make my Lenten journey benefit my relationship with Christ, I recognize that I have some clearing and cleaning to do. I want Christ to “be more and more at home” in my heart. I want to grow in my trust for Him. I long to let my “roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.”

Let us consider this year’s Lenten journey an opportunity to rout out those unnecessary obstacles to truly opening ourselves to Christ’s indwelling within our hearts and minds.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.