At Home – by Rudy Gray

The longer I live, the more convinced I am that we have too often neglected one of the most vital opportunities for family communication and bonding: the meal table.

Rudy Gray

From various research, we know that strong, healthy families take time to spend time together. But the sharing that can occur around the table at mealtime is an added bonus for spending quality time together.

Sharing time together around the common theme of food is a typical Baptist stereotype. We seem to be known for our “eating” meetings. Somebody recently said that if you want to get a bigger crowd at church, have some food!

What is so special about spending time together as a family around the table? It provides us with an opportunity to share with each other in a less stressful atmosphere. For some families, mealtime has been used as a time to discuss our beliefs, values, and doctrines as Christians. It is a non-threatening way to connect in fresh ways with the people close to you. It is a time when funny things often happen and good memories can be built.

I believe most of us will never regret spending time with our families over a meal. On the other hand, many of us may be saddened that we chose not to spend time with our families at lunch, breakfast or dinner.

Eating together as a family is not on most people’s radar as the biggest or most important thing we should do. But it seems – to me, at least – that it is one of the biggest potential blessings that we are not utilizing effectively.

I know we are busy and mobile people. The Internet, cell phones, etc., make some form of communication possible wherever we are. However, nothing can take the place of sitting around the table, looking into someone’s eyes, sharing your heart, and listening with real attention.

For many families in the past, the dinner table was regarded with such esteem that it took an emergency to cause us to miss it. Today, it may be that the family meal is more often reserved for emergencies and special occasions. It ought to be one of the regular building blocks in growing healthy families. In fact, I believe it is.