There used to be an old saying: “Children should be seen and not heard” I don’t agree with this statement. I believe the table is place for not only eating, but fellowship. Food and fellowship go together. They are TWINS.Of course, we don’t allow children to talk over the top of one another, or to have separate conversations with each other at the table. Fellowship is for building up one another. Therefore, each one takes a turn. We train our children to do what is right and what is etiquette. When they learn the right way at the table, they understand how to act in other situations and other people’s homes.
Even in the church situation 1 Corinthians 14:31 says: “For ye may all prophecy ONE BY ONE, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.” Do you notice the words ONE BY ONE? It is chaos when everyone talks at once. But we are all blessed and encouraged when each one takes their turn.
Some mothers complain that their husbands don’t help at mealtimes. We all want our husbands to help more, don’t we? But we need to remember that God has given us the task of managing our home. It’s not our husband’s obligation. His responsibility to is to work hard to provide for the home. Of course, it is lovely when he helps with the dishes, sweeps the floor, or takes over preparing the little ones for bed, especially when you have young children. And we trust he will take up his responsibility to lead the family in prayer and Bible reading at the end of the meal.
However, when there are older children in the home, they should be trained to take the responsibility to clear the table, do the dishes, and clean the kitchen. If we are not training them, we are not doing our job. The husband who has been working hard all day should not have to do this. But if and when he does, please be grateful to him and thank him. Don’t take it for granted.
You are the Queen of your home. You are not expected to do every job in the home. You train and delegate. Every child can do something, even the little ones. In homes where there are older trained children the mothers should be reaping their reward of years of training. They should be able to sit and relax while their children clean up.
And one more thing. Can I please encourage you, dear wives and mothers, to change your confession? Some mothers tell me they dislike the family table because of the rabble and confusion that goes on. But this is opposite to God’s plan. God wants to come and join you at your table. He wants to bring His presence to your table. He wants it to be a place of joy, laughter, harmony, and blessing one another.
You can begin to make this happen as you change your confession. Begin confessing that you LOVE MEAL TIMES WITH YOUR FAMILY! What you confess will come to pass. Instead of thinking of preparing a meal as another chore, look upon it as sacred task. My goal is TO MAKE EVERY MEAL A LOVE AFFAIR!
When you begin preparing a meal, think of how to make your meal a love affair for your family. How can you make your table look special and inviting tonight? How can you best minister to their physical needs? What can you do to get your children interacting together?
Start thinking NOW about what you are going to do at your meal table this evening.
Love from Nancy Campbell
841 Hits
What’s the atmosphere like in your home? What’s it like at meal times? Do you gather together around your table? Talk and fellowship together? Open God’s Word and pray together? Do you do dishes and clean up the kitchen together? Or is Mom left with the mess and everyone goes their merry way?
Of course you do. When you become a mother you can hardly grasp how you can love someone so much.
Are your family mealtimes often chaotic? Sometimes you want to throw up your hands in despair! The following are some ideas that I have found helpful in maintaining togetherness at our family meal table. Even as you establish these ideas, don’t despair if everything is not perfect. It takes time. But as you keep training you will eventually reap the fruit of glorious times around your table.
“You are our letter, known and read by everyone” (2 Corinthians 3:2). In our homes and everywhere we go, we should reveal the character of Jesus for people are reading us. And how do they read us? Through our faces. Let’s not hide the glory of God.
Oh how true. To gather family and friends around your table is one of the most enjoyable things in life. How wonderful to share, fellowship, discuss, tell stories, laugh, and even cry together. My favorite times of every day, especially as we end our meals with reading God’s Word and praying together.
Are you off to church today? We need one another more than ever, don't we?
One of the names of our God is the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Did you notice that He is the God of ALL comfort? We need God’s comfort in different ways as we face different situations in our lives. But there is nothing that is too painful for God’s comfort.
Have you thought much about salutations? They have power to affect people’s lives. What do you say when you greet your husband each morning? I am sure you start with the wonderful words, “I love you.”
Did you know that 130 million people will starve this coming year as a result of the economic damage from lockdowns? Awhile back I posted a note about the GREAT BARRINGTON DECLARATION? In case you missed it, I am posting it again. The GREAT BARRINGTON DECLARATION is a petition you can sign if you are concerned about the continuing lockdowns in our nation. You can read about it and then sign the petition by going to the following link:
Dear precious ladies, we don’t stop mothering when our children leave the nest. We increase in mothering. It won’t be long, and grandchildren will come. These years go quickly and then another generation begins.
We sang this hymn at our Family Devotions this morning. Powerful words for these times.
As Colin and I were walking down Pennsylvania, going home from the Trump Rally I noticed the First Amendment written in huge letters on the side of a building. I was so blessed to see it and to think this is what we had come to DC for, to stand up for our freedom. Here it was written plainly for everyone to read and yet it is being pulled out from underneath our feet!
There are so many things to accomplish in your home as a homemaker, but remember, your greatest role is as a mother. When everything is piling on top of you and you don’t know how you’ll do it all, remember you are a mother first. It doesn’t matter if your windows aren’t cleaned. Sit down with your children and read them a story. Enjoy your baby. Take time with your children. 
This article is a MUST read:
I wonder if we really understand the power of God’s words that He releases into the universe. He spoke, and the worlds came into being. All it took was for God to open His mouth and speak.
“The trouble with our way of educating is that it does not give elasticity to the mind. It casts the brain into a mold. It insists that the child must accept. It does not encourage original thought or reasoning, and it lays more stress on memory than observation.” 
THE YEAR THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
Dear mother, you are the builder of your home. Build a strong family (Proverbs 14:1). 
What are you filled with this Christmas? Many folks have cars filled with gifts, homes filled with decorations, tables filled with food, and stockings filled with things we will never use. We are filled to over the top. However, when we read about the birth of Jesus, we find that instead of being filled with the things of the world, they were filled with the Holy Ghost!