So many people spend mealtimes just simply trying to survive. Hand a piece of pizza to your child and let them run off and play Minecraft with their friends. Sit in front of the Television. Graze like antelopes.
What would it look like to make mealtime more intentional?
We say that the first expression of the church is the home, but what does that even mean? Are there any PRACTICAL tips for how you could grow together as a family? Could it be as simple as making your mealtime more INTENTIONAL?
Maybe you are using kids activities as an excuse for sitting together at the dinner table. You could very easily create a snack time after dance lessons or dessert together as a family. Don’t think about why it won’t work but figure out how it could!
Here are 4 easy things to try doing your regular mealtime or evening snack.
Communion- Don’t make the word “communion” scare you. Communion simply means “common union”. Jesus intended that we would sit around the dinner table and take something ordinary (like a meal) and make it an even more meaningful experience, an experience that Jesus would share with us. You can easily take communion by simply asking your family where they feel insignificant, where they feel like failures, or what they wish they could “do over” about today. Take the time to confess your imperfection over the past day and toast to the grace of God. Take a moment to be thankful that you don’t have to carry the heaviness of an imperfect day anymore and eat up!
Highs and Lows- When you sit down to eat with your family ask, “What was the best part of your day, and what was the worst part of your day?” This is so simple that even my children have caught on. I don’t even need to lead this part of the discussion anymore because my kids ask the question. It is so much better than just asking, “how was your day?” which results in the typical response, “good.” Asking this simple question puts you in touch with the events of the day and creates some really good dialogue so that you can process life alongside the ones you love.
Story- Another really great thing for us has been reading stories. I have used, “The Jesus Storybook Bible” and I have told my own stories. I’ve shared stories from my own life, stories from the day, parables of Jesus, and I’ve told stories from the Bible as I remember them. Story is a great way to create conversation. It’s fascinating to watch your kids process stories and become storytellers. After a while give them a chance to read or tell stories in their own words.
HEARTS- My Friend Foye Belyea created an emotional “check in” that I find really valuable. Rather than saying, “how are you?” which usually doesn’t end up giving you even a clue as to your families emotions, we can touch base around 6 basic emotions and see which emotions your family members are dealing with currently and why. Don’t feel limited to just one emotion at a time, but allow your family to share all of the emotions they are currently feeling and why. HEARTS stands for, “Happy, Excited, Anxious, Rage, Tender, and Sad.” You could feel both anxious and excited at the same time. You might be excited about an upcoming competition but also feel nervous about it. Doing an emotional check-in can help you get in tune with what your family is feeling. It might be awkward at first but eventually you will come to enjoy this tool if you stick with it.
Don’t feel the need to do all of these things. Just pick one and watch your mealtime become more meaningful and rich.
The first expression of the church is the home!
Mike Jarrell oversees coaching, vision and training at Narrow Road Communities in Harrisburg, PA. He also serves as director of the Creo Collective.