Day 14 The Meal Time Rule We Do Not Break

In our house, we don’t keep a ton of “rules” but Day 14 The Meal Time Rule We Do Not Break is one I learned myself growing up and it made a huge impact on me. It will impact your entire day if you follow it, and you will be guaranteed that your children will enjoy sitting down to eat with you.

Growing up, I lived what I think was a pretty idyllic life. We grew up poor in money but never in spirit or love. God always made sure we had enough…not an excess but more than enough to be okay.

So I certainly would not say we argued a lot or had a ton of disagreements. But I will say my older sister caused a fair amount of tension and stress in our home. I witnessed over and over her try my parents’ patience but never their love.

And when she couldn’t push my mom and dad any more, she shifted her frustrations over to my younger sister and me.

But through it all, my mom and dad maintained there would be one place in our home that would remain a sanctuary – a place of peace and quiet and calm…

The Dinner Table…

And my parents meant it…because this was unfortunately not how my dad grew up. So he knew first-hand the internal churning of your stomach while you were supposed to enjoy a meal but could not really because there was tension and anger hanging in the air.

And he knew that this was not what food was meant to be. That food was meant to nourish your body, but also your soul. That breaking bread at the dinner table with those you love most should be a calm moment in a calamitous world.

And so he made sure it never was that way in our home.

I’m sure there was much tongue-holding and sitting on hands, but for the life of me, I can’t recall a time when sitting at the table with my family was not an enjoyable experience.

And I want to make sure my girls can say the same thing 20 years from now.

So when meal times roll around, disagreements get put aside. It’s not the time to discuss them not listening well today or why they couldn’t get along in the playroom. It’s not the time to argue with Bryan over why he forgot to tell me he was working late. It’s not the time to talk about punishments or poor listening in school.

No – it’s time to share our days with each other. To enjoy each other’s company. To ask what we loved about what the day…and what we didn’t. To talk about our meal. To see the smiles in my children’s faces. To pray and thank God for all that he has given us…we have an abundance in a world of need.

To cherish our time together after a long day. To be grateful that in a world of sadness and loneliness, we belong to each other.

Everything else can wait.