One of my favorite things to do is eat. I love a good meal and good company. Having time together as a family is important and the easiest time to get together is around a meal. This is why in a culture that keeps us always on the go, family mealtime is so important.
Combining two of our favorites things, food and family, makes it a win-win. Between my girls’ school, all their activities, all the running around I do, and Eric working, there are days when it seems that we are all just ships passing each other by. I know many of you can relate, and if you work as well, that just adds more to your already overloaded schedules.
Despite all we have going on, we should try daily to make an effort to connect as a family. We do all we do for our families and we should be able to enjoy time with them.
Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.
Psalms 122:7 (NKJV)
When I first read this Psalm I was like, I need that in my life! Everyone wants their house to be filled with peace and a place they always enjoy returning to. It made me realize that I do have that and so should you. In our homes, that area could be your dining table where you have family mealtime.
A place for you all to come together and just be you. A safe place to share the ups and downs of your day with those closest to you. A time to disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with your family.
For us, dinner is our family mealtime. My girls look forward to hearing the garage door open because that is their signal that my husband, Eric, is home and it will be dinner time soon. For you, dinner may not work, because of schedules or activities, so have family breakfast time then. It does not have to be fancy, just intentional.
At family mealtime
Turn off the tv and turn on a little music. Leave all toys and electronics in another room. Have everyone bring their food to the table, pray together, and just enjoy. Enjoy a few uninterrupted moments reconnecting as a family. One way to get everyone to open up a little each day, you can try something that has worked for us over the years.
Once everyone has been eating for a few minutes, one person, for us that’s usually one of the twins because they like to know everything, will ask,”What was your favorite part of the day? What did you not like today?”.
This helps everyone to not only share the highs and lows of their day, but also allows you to reflect on your day. As a mom, it also allows me to see what things my girls really enjoy and some things they may be struggling with. As a wife, it allows me to see areas of Eric’s life that I may need to celebrate more and ways I can pray for him.
Some mealtimes will be filled with light conversation and laughter, others filled with silent reflection and heavy topics. Yet all done in the safety and comfort of your dining table citadel. Over time you will be amazed at all that is shared at your family mealtime.
What does your family mealtime look like?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
So nice to meet you, Ayanna! I hopped on over from Pintrest and saw the title of your blog (which I love!). I also love your tie in to Psalm 122:7. Time around the table with family is sacred; it must be guarded and cherished. I think of all the meals and celebrations the people of Israel enjoyed together to build community and to teach the younger generations about God’s faithfulness. My husband recently started doing short devotions before dinner, and the kids love it! May God’s peace continue to reign within the walls of your home! 🙂
Totally agree! Family meal time is so important! It’s one of my favorite times of day.
I couldn’t agree more with everything in this post! It really is SO important!
I love this! Such a great post! I think family meal time is so sacred and such an important time. We have a hard time finding that time but I am trying. ?I know it will happen one day and I so look forward to the many conversations. Family meals are my most favorite memories of childhood. Thank you for sharing this.
I wish we could have a sit down family meal every night. My husband works late so we don’t really get that, but growing up we always had dinner and I really liked that time with my family.
I agree! We always had family meals as a kid and I will do the same with my family. Conversation and sharing is important!
I couldn’t agree more, such a great post!!
I love this post! My husband and I try very hard to be intentional to sit down together for dinner. Sometimes the tv is on, sometimes we talk the entire time. But it is our time and I treasure that! I love the comparision of a citadel, and that verse!
Emily
I agree and have fond memories of my childhood dinners with the family! We on the other hand have scheduling issues since I work days and he works nights, but I strive for that!
I love this!! Putting the cell phones, I pads and computers away to spend quality time is so important. We may not get to do this every night but we sure try to as much as possible!
We may not get to it every night, but when my hubby is home, we do block out a couple of hours for the family cooking together and sitting down to a meal. Sometimes it is a quick kiss, dinner’s on the stove and your daughter wants to play as I dash out the door for a meeting. My family always had supper together, which frequently included friends. I think the tradition is important.
Absolutely agree. We plan for family meal time as often as possible. Between work and extra-curricular activities, we tend to only get dinner time together to digest the daily events. It’s important for families to spend time and actually talk to each other.
Yes! Thank you so much for sharing. It’s sad how electronics are taking over our families. We make a point of sitting together as a family for dinner. No matter what may be happening in our lives we make it a point to have our meals together with no television or phone disruption. Many look at us old-fashioned but that’s okay because we are instilling values in our children and hope they will continue when they have their own families 🙂
Family meal time is so important to my family/ We have three little ones, so we wanted to instill early that we pray, eat and share our days together. Our kiddos know when it’s time for a meal, everyone goes to sit at the table together. Our oldest has taken on the role of praying for us by choice. I am so thankful we started this way and keep praying it continues as they get older!
I loved this post because so many people these days lose sight of family meal times. I was raised with strong values and rules when it came to family meal times – no phones at the table, family prayer first, ask to be excused, the family cleans together after, etc.
The time has come to return to sit down family meals. No electronic devices just enjoying home cooked meal and talking with the kids. Finding out what is going on in everyones lives and laughing having a good tome.
Love this! We feel the same, especially as we get busier. It’s so important to have that time to connect as a family.
So true Tina. It always seems the busier we gey the more we need that time to just slow down and reconnect. Be Blessed!
We do family mealtime as much as we can! Unfortunately, our dining room table turns into a drop zone, so it gets buried and we can’t always keep it cleared off LOL. We sit down in the same spot each and eat, talk, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. No electronics, no distractions, just family. This is something my husband and I said from the moment we got engaged that we wanted to implement. No regrets. Thank you for sharing! This is a lost tradition/practice that should be a requirement today!
Family meal times are so important! I love how you pulled the Psalm in; it paints a beautiful picture. It’s definitely hard when we live in an on-the-go culture, but I think you’re right about prioritizing this.
First, those are beautiful flowers! And yes, I agree 100% about removing electronics and all distractions from the dinner table. There is something so sacred and precious about sitting down together as a family, listening to each other and making memories. That bond is so important. This was a must when I was growing up and I plan on carrying on that tradition 🙂