You can’t throw away Jesus

We all model our lives on stories we’ve heard and the people who exist in those stories. There are, of course, the biblical accounts of God’s people and Jesus. But there are also stories closer to home. The stories of our parents, grandparents, or people we hear about often make a profound impact on who we are and what we work at becoming.

This series looks at some of those stories as told by people within our Canadian Mennonite Brethren church family.

Families, like individuals, often have stories that carry significant meaning. These stories mark moments when God’s reality and truth break into the family’s life in a new way. They usually begin with a simple event that becomes an enduring source of inspiration, direction, and encouragement.

For Rick and Colleen Loewen of Winnipeg, this happened in quite an unusual way.

Colleen, a teacher by profession, was a stay-at-home mom for some years. One day, she was watching and waiting for her two eldest children, ages six and eight, to come home from school. They were a bit late and when she finally saw them walking down the street, she immediately noticed they weren’t fighting as they usually did.

Instead, they were trying to carry a large, oddly shaped object. They were obviously very excited about something. It was “something” they had rescued from a trash bin on garbage day.

When Jonathan and Margaret brought the object into the house, Colleen was surprised to see what it was. A cheesy velvet painting.

The Loewen family at the time of the story: (back, l–r) Sarah (1), Colleen, Jonathan (8), and Rick; (front) Margaret (6), and Timothy (3). They attend McIvor Ave. MB Church, Winnipeg.

But the painting wasn’t of cars or animals. The painting was of Jesus.

The two children insisted the painting be kept and hung in the house. But the frame was broken, and the painting had a tear in it. There was no way Colleen was going to let them hang that broken artwork in the house!

The kids were adamant the painting be displayed somewhere where they could always see it. But it was too damaged to hang properly, and Rick insisted it be thrown away. Besides, it wasn’t a great picture.

The children began to cry. In tears, they protested and pleaded.

“You can’t throw away Jesus!”

Rick finally relented and did what any good father would do. He fixed the frame. While he couldn’t do much about the tear, he stretched the fabric so the rip was less noticeable.

That was some nine years ago. Today, the painting hangs in the hallway to the garage because it’s a pretty large piece. It reminds the Loewen family, whose children are now nearing adulthood, of a simple but profound truth each time they walk by it: Jesus should never be discarded from our daily life and walk.

For the Loewen family, the message is crystal clear. And it all began with a broken painting.

Ken Reddig is director of the Centre for MB Studies, Winnipeg.