10 Days To A Better Back To SchoolExemplo

Matthew 9:10

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.

Most of us want to have a close-knit family. A family where the children enjoy being in the home, where they want to bring their friends, where home is a “safe” place.  

How do we, as moms, create such an environment? Do we need to buy the latest technology and finish our basements with a movie-style theater seating? Do we need to install a pool equipped with a hot tub? No, it is much more simple than any of those material things.  

Children and families need a place to be themselves, to know they are loved and accepted and where they can let their guard down and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, their family is on their side.  

One way to create such a secure place is to eat dinner together as a family on a regular basis. Turn off the TV, set aside cell phones, put away your thoughts about work, and sit together as a family while you eat. Listen to your children, laugh with them, ask them about their day- the good and the bad- talk about what their week looks like and share with them what is going on in your life. The dinner table has always been a place where community and love are shared, even in the life of Jesus.  

Jesus took time out of his busy schedule to have dinner with the people he loved.  We need to do the same. 

Prayer

Father,

Thank You for always showing me how to love my family and others. God, I tell myself that we don’t have time to sit around the table on a regular basis and eat dinner- that we must eat in the car, on the go. But, Lord, I’m beginning to re-evaluate my life and I’m realizing if I want a close family, I need to make my family a priority. Give me the courage to rearrange things in my life to make time for what is most important. Amen.