The Dinner Table: Where Families Grow Closer, One Meal at a Time
Perhaps the favorite part of my day occurs when our family gathers around the table for dinner (or supper for those with deep Southern roots like me). What I have noticed as I’ve gotten older is that what’s on the table itself pales in comparison to the conversation held around it. With a family of six this coveted time can be loud and combative (from ages 2 to 14 what do you expect) and yet I fully recognize that those moments will not last forever. For what it’s worth I try to fully embrace each opportunity my wife makes the announcement that dinner is ready.
What I’ve learned over the years is that the dinner table is where our family grows closer together. In the morning life is complete chaos as we take care of all the animals on the farm and the crew in the house. Getting everything done logistically is its own feat and before we know it everyone is headed to their own set of responsibilities for the given day. Yet at dinner time everything seemingly stops and we can simply be where our feet are.
Deuteronomy 6 talks about impressing on our kids what God reveals to us and I’ve found that it is during this coveted time where that happens most organically. Something fun we recently incorporated was a family Bible reading plan along with scripture memorization. Each week we have five chapters we set out to read together and accompanying those are two verses that we try to memorize. The verses build upon themselves and hopefully at the end of the year we’ll have the entire Sermon on the Mount memorized (fingers crossed).
My simple encouragement to you is this – no matter what your dinner time dynamics look like you have an opportunity to pour into others in a meaningful way. So, it really doesn’t matter what’s for dinner—it’s about who’s around the table. The conversations, connections, and moments shared are what truly nourish us. Embrace the chaos, the laughter, and even the silence, because these are the memories that last long after the dishes are cleared.
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