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Blog,  Intentional Living

Chaos or Gratefulness….Family Meal Prayer Time is a Saving Grace

Mealtime is the craziest time of the day for most households. Between checking homework, prepping for the next day, and making sure supper (yes, I am from up North) doesn’t burn, it’s amazing we survive. Most times I feel like our family crashes to the table to inhale our food and get to the next chore with fragmented pieces of conversation between bites. Needless to say, it is unfulfilling. 

In the midst of cleaning up the kitchen one evening, I had a God-given “aha” moment. It was the realization that I was epically failing at the part where God instructs us to teach and guide our children and lead by example. I had a dismal reflection of how easy it is to forget little by little the important things in life and remove them from our day-to-day lives.

My thoughts went to the many ways that I need to implement simple things in our day to ensure that I am instructing my child in the ways I want. Instill the qualities in him that will make him a great man, friend, spouse, and son of God.

One simple–oh so simple–way is to incorporate prayer at mealtime. We live in a world of abundance and often forget that all we have is a gift from God. All the directions we run in a day need to be grounded in what God wants us to do and live by his word. 

Prayer at meal time does so much:

  • Reframes our thoughts
  • Lowers stress and sets the tone of the meal to be of thankfulness
  • Sets the expectations for the meal 
  • Graciousness
  • Gives thanks to God

In closing,  remember 1 Corinthians 10:31 says “ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We need to live our lives all for the glory of God. Taking a few moments in our busy day to say grace before the meals is definitely what God wants us to do. 

Do you find time in your days to say grace before meals? Is it a lost piece that you need to look at starting to bring back to your home or start if you never have?

Keep it simple….

“Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen.”

Contributed by Jessica Clemens

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