Around The Table

Around the Table

Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. Deuteronomy 4:9

I remember my family sitting around the dinner table through my growing-up years and enjoying roast beef and mashed potatoes, chicken casseroles with bread-crumb topping, homemade banana pudding. Even when there wasn’t an abundance in the pantry, Mom could put together a simple Sunday-night supper of goldenrod eggs served over toast for the six of us children and make it special. It was around that table I learned what was going on in my three big sisters’ classrooms, picked up a bit of wisdom from our dad, and heard family stories and news from out-of-town relatives.

Today, families are pulled in lots of different directions, which can make it hard to meet at dinnertime. Yet for those who make it a priority, family meals can be a chance to connect, relax together, and bond. To pass on the stories of what God has done for us, and to transfer truth, as Deuteronomy tells us to. There’s something about a shared meal that anchors a family, even on nights when kids are irritable. Research shows that children and teens who eat with their families are less likely to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, or consider suicide. They tend to do better in school, delay having sex, and have better relationships with their parents.

Shared dinnertime is also important for a single woman living with roommates or a senior citizen who lives alone. These people may not have family available, but they can benefit from sharing a meal with a neighbor or friend. Jesus tells us to love one another, and that kind of loving begins with those who are closest to us, in our own homes and neighborhoods, as we create comfort, give the gift of conversation and good food, and pass on the love that God has so graciously given to us. —CHERI

Lord, our lives are moving so fast. Help us take time to share our lives over meals, to connect with one another, and to create comfort for those you bring into our circles at work, at school, and in our communities.

In a challenging world, family belonging provides a safe haven for parents and children alike. Family dinners not only satisfy our physical and emotional needs, but also offer a time and place to consciously teach our children the value of caring for others. —GAYLE PETERSON, PRENATAL AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST