Benefits of Dining Together
When I was growing up, we had one rule in our house that could not be broken: everyone needed to be at the table at 5:00 pm to eat dinner together.
No exceptions were allowed. Mother had dinner ready and whatever we were doing, we better find our way home and “wash up” for supper.
Television was turned off, ball caps were removed from heads and we did something we don’t see much today anymore…we talked to each other.
This was one of the most important part of our day to my Mother, most days, dinner time was the only time we could spend together as a family. Often dinner would be followed by “family meetings” and “groundings”, if needed.
We don’t eat dinner together as families anymore. I don’t know why; to me as a kid, it was the most significant time of my day. Bonding with my family; creating memories, feeling secure and safe in my home while listening to my family and learning from them. It was the one event that I could count on that gave me a sense of belonging.
Nowadays, dinner time is done in shifts because of our hectic schedules or in front of the television. Most dining tables, like mine, are used for storage or a makeshift desk during the week, cleared off only for when company comes to dinner.
There is such value in taking time to dine together. Not only for the beneficial family strengthening that I’ve already talked about but it also helps us to become more aware of one another.
Likewise, it is also imperative that we as Christians take time to sit awhile and dine with one another. Unfortunately, we tend to become like the family that all have their electronic devices out while eating; we allow distractions to keep us from recognizing the value of eating together. (Fellowship)
Jesus gave us a clear picture of what dining with one another looks like. It happened around the Last Supper Table with His Disciples.
Jesus took the time to explain to His friends how drinking from the cup would remind them of His sacrifice. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
And He talked about brokenness. Knowing that each of them would feel brokenness at times in their life’s, but nothing like how He would be broken.
When I think about that Last Supper, I can’t help to wonder what it was like for those Disciples to have the opportunity to sit around the table breaking bread with Jesus and fellowshipping with Him.
This is the kind of love, teaching, understanding and fellowship that we all miss out on in our homes and in our churches when we allow distractions to keep us from the table.
“No longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in Whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” -Ephesians 2:19-21
Maybe it is time to sit awhile around the table and become joined together!
amen my friend
Thank you Denise for your faithfulness to LWG!
Thank you for this post. You hit the nail on the head, Laurie. The coming together at meal time is something I always insisted on as well. Like you said, in today’s busyness, meal time can get lost due to schedules. I think it’s time to re-evaluate our schedules, see what can be cut or re-adjusted, and make sure we have that fellowship with one another as a family everyday, even if it’s over a bowl of cereal at breakfast. At the very least, set aside one evening a week as family night.
So true Marsha! Somewhere along the line we’ve lost the importance of this. I see too many young moms propping the kids in front of the television during mealtime, serving as a babysitter. We as a church need to be careful as well that distractions don’t keep us from being the family that God desires us to be.
So true Laurie. It is indeed important to meet together for dinner. It was not always this way at my home, because my dad worked shifts as a police officer, but we made sure that at least the girls were together for dinner.