Jesus FollowersSample

Our Walk | Breaking Bread and Making Memories

From Rachel-Ruth

The distant ringing of the cowbell signaled dinnertime. Mom always rang the big old rusty bell when she wanted us to come home, knowing we would hear it wherever we were in the neighborhood. As we barreled into the kitchen, she would be dishing out spaghetti with her homemade meat sauce, toasted and buttered French bread already on the table. 

During dinner, we would each talk about our days. Then at the end of every dinner, my dad would ask me to go grab his Bible so that he could lead us in devotions. Dad would ask us questions about what we each thought a passage meant. We would try to answer but usually got the giggles because we seemed to never give him the answer he was looking for. Eventually, Dad would grow frustrated and simply declare, nearly every time, that the answer was the blood of Jesus. Until Dad went to Heaven, if one of us couldn’t figure out what answer Dad was looking for during our family devotions, we just answered, “It’s the blood.” 

Nothing super special took place at our family dinner table, but those years of eating together, sharing countless conversations marked by laughter, and discussing Scripture all had a profound impact on me. 

I am now married to a head high school football coach, which means that, for over half the year, he eats dinner with us only on the weekends. My girls’ soccer and basketball schedules have also complicated our family mealtimes. Often we grab fast food or find something to eat late at night when we get home. 

One of the blessings of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 was that for the first time in years, we consistently ate together, and the blessings were enormous. Steven was able to lead us in family devotions. The girls’ interactions with him were invaluable since his normal schedule so rarely allowed them time together.  

If you, too, have been missing the beauty of connecting spiritually and personally with your family in the daily-ness of life, maybe you could set aside at least one night a week for time together—whether it’s dinner or a game night or cookies and a movie. Being together will strengthen your family bonds and give your kids a sense of security, not to mention providing opportunities for unscripted conversations about living out your faith. 

How can you rearrange your schedule to allow for regular opportunities to share life with your loved ones and create memorable moments of joy, connection, and spiritual development?