Sunday, July 8, 2012

Sharing Meals Strengthens Families

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”

-- Luke 24:30-31a

Here in the Deep South we are all about food. Not fancy food but comfort food. The kind of food that makes a table groan from the weight. The sort of food that makes a person feel loved and nourished and cared for.

Whenever anything happens -- be it death, illness, celebration -- everybody brings food. A dear friend once explained that we just want to do something to let others know that we care, so we take food. Handing someone a casserole or plate of cookies is a tangible thing that says we care.

It used to be that families sat down together at least once a day for a meal. It was a time to reconnect, to share stories, to remember who we are. No more. We are part of a fast food nation that runs like crazy and shares meals on the go. It’s really kind of sad.

Jesus used meal times to teach about God and the lessons of life. I’d never really paid too much attention to how many passages in the Bible speak of food and feasting until reading the book, The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith. It’s amazing in some ways and in other ways it is just so right and true.

What is a meal all about? Preparation. Serving. Sharing. When someone takes the time to prepare your favorite dish you can’t help but feel loved. When someone invites you to share a place at their table, you feel welcomed and wanted. It is so intimate and yet so open and welcoming.

Of course, just sitting at the same table and sharing a meal doesn’t deepen relationships. That happens when we talk to one another. No television. No cell phones. Just conversations where you look someone in the eye and really hear what they have to say. Text messages tell us a lot but nothing replaces human contact.

There are many ways to start conversations. Sharing a good moment from the day, sharing a concern, talking about current issues. It’s all part of our days. Listening is something learned. It becomes not so much about what we have to say as what we have to hear. Taking time to respect the views of those closest to us enough to really hear what they have to say.

So many families these days don’t really know each other. Not really. Because we’re just too busy, too distracted, too focused on things that don’t matter to sit down and share a meal and really talk to each other. Imagine the things we could learn, the stories we could tell, the laughter and love we could share.