Family dinners are my favorite. Sometimes it looks like a handful of people and other times the numbers grow to twenty or more. The overflow of people make themselves at home wherever there is a seat.
The gathering of family highlights a connectedness that God blesses as you invite Him into the mix. He takes your highs and lows and bundles them with grace. The shared conversation only grows sweeter through years of familiarity and the dynamics of change. God seasons the time together with hope, love, and provision.
One thing I’m always sure of is the connection of love shared over a meal. Life around the table is a gift and treasure from God.
Writing about life around the table is easy and hard all at the same time. My immediate family only gets together several times a year. But my extended family of friends, neighbors, and church community fill in the gaps.
[Tweet “Life around the table is a gift and treasure from God. #TellHisStory”]
During the first week of November, I received the gift of life around the table with dear writing friends. Love, laughter, and life mingled with good food and deep conversations. Our time together in real life only happens once a year at the most, but it always nourishes the sweet longings of our souls. I wish I could describe all the feelings that accompany such a gathering.
Know this–God’s presence was palpable and there was a standing invitation to go deeper.
I know for some of you that there are periods of time that look lonely or feel empty. It is a piece of the puzzle when seeking community. I, too, know this feeling and wonder when the “family” feeling will be restored. God is present in those times of longing too. He hears your heart and knows your desires.
Will you trust Him to provide new experiences of life around the table? How will you open your heart and mind to accepting the newness that God promises?
My week at the beach looked nothing like the sweet community that we first experienced when we met. At this time, we were in awe of each other, geeked out over how we shared common interests, and amazed that God chose to grow this beginning into something more.
Today we share writing as a foundational piece of our friendship. But let me describe how that one piece now looks like shared life, times of prayer, encouragement, and whatever else God lays on our hearts. The beginning was a seed that God nourished and developed as we accepted the friendships we were offered.
Only God grows a seed that blooms into beautiful fruit.
Life around the table is an analogy for community and new beginnings. Just when you feel overcome by missing out on deep friendships, God is ready to bless you with unexpected people who enter your life. It has happened to me time and time again. Has it happened for you?
[Tweet “Only God grows a seed that blooms into beautiful fruit. #TellHisStory”]
Throughout the Gospels, we find examples of Jesus sharing a meal as part of His life of ministry. The most famous example is the Last Supper, but before that meal took place, Jesus spent time with unexpected individuals and groups of people. There is the …
Wedding meal at Canaan
Feeding of the five thousand
Meal with His good friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
Dinner with a Pharisee
Unexpected invitation Jesus extended to Zacchaeus, the tax collector
And the road to Emmaus story ending with Jesus appearing to His disciples
The common factor was a shared meal and the connection was Jesus. It is this truth that keeps me grounded when engaging in life around the table.
Opportunities to grow community, friendships, and relationships are available for all of us. Just as I found deep connectedness with my writing friends, God desires the same for you.
The only magic piece to the puzzle is Jesus. Together let’s open our hearts to create a rhythm of belonging. May our testimonies offer a thread of connection and deeper meaning. In our times of loneliness, may we extend the invitation to God and others. I am always surprised and pleased at how unexpected friendships grow out of the courage we extend when we go first.
Thanksgiving blessings! May you find beautiful life around the table this Thanksgiving!
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
Newsy Notes
A few changes are coming to #TellHisStory.
First, the linkup will open at 7:00 AM EST beginning next week. I hope this makes it easier for you as you are sharing your words with multiple communities.
Second, starting in January, I will open the doors for others to #TellHisStory. Once a month, you and others will have a chance to share your story for the whole community. God is showing me that I have no corner on the writing market for #TellHisStory and you all have beautiful words to share. Look for a chance to apply to write in December.
Third, I am learning to balance all the things in my life. In keeping myself aligned with what is most important, I will continue to respond to all comments, but will visit those of you at your place when you comment here. I want to honor your words too, but I know that keeping up with visiting all of you who link up is not realistic.
In other news …
I am beginning a return to writing on Sundays with an Advent series. If I have never mentioned it before, Advent is my favorite and God won’t let me not write about it. Subscribe below to receive all of my posts right in your inbox. You will be glad you did.
There is a beautiful new magazine that launched its maiden issue. It is called The Joyful Life Magazine and here is what they say:
THE JOYFUL LIFE is a quarterly lifestyle print publication for Christian women seeking the authentic JOY found by inviting JESUS into our everyday lives.
Our goal is to help women find the joy and see the beauty in every area of their lives – home, work, marriage, motherhood, family, friendship, fellowship, and community. It’s a publication about REAL LIFE…as raw, vulnerable, beautiful, fragile & joyful as it is.
Check it out by clicking HERE. The magazine would make the perfect Christmas present.
One last thing …
Will you share some love with my sweet writing friends, Debbie Kitterman, Patti Krank, and Holly Solomon?
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I love seeing that picture and recognizing your faces just from visits around the blogosphere! Thanks for sharing about your in-life friendship together as well. Such a blessing, Mary.
I think you know each of us, Lisa. You would fit in very well around the table. Blessings as we move into the holiday season.
Love talking about life around the table. Interesting that you included a mention of the wedding of Cana. I wrote about that this week also.
Thank you so much for changing the link up time. It makes it easier for those of us who still have day jobs! 😉
I can’t wait to read your words. It is a blessing to share life around the table and I love how God grows and honors that time together.
I pray the new link up time works well for you.
Beautiful. There is just something about sitting around a table together…laurensparks.net
Yes and amen! I pray you have many around the table moments this season. Blessings!
Mary, I loved the picture, and I share your thoughts about life around the table! So glad you got to have a retreat with precious friends! And those changes to your linkup sound good to me! (Linking up in the afternoon is hard and then I tend to forget!)
It is a great picture with some amazing ladies. There is nothing like hanging with friends but especially ones that share Jesus in common. I hope the new link up time finds you here more often!
Sharing a table with friends and family is one of the best ways to spend time. So glad to read about your time at the beach. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I agree! I pray you have many opportunities to gather around the table. The beach was an unexpected gift that came at just the right time. Blessings!
Dear Mary,
I loved all of the ways that you shared about friendships and meeting together. Especially with Jesus being the center, HE directs us in ways that are so surprising sometimes! I am praying for you with the new changes coming up, and looking forward to your Advent Series. I have missed your special Sunday posts! Happy Thanksgiving Blessings to you!
I love that you join me here each week. You are a blessing to me. May you find Jesus at the center of your holiday gatherings and may you find many Jesus-inspired moments this season. Thanksgiving blessings to you too.
Mary, this was such a fun post to read. You all are such a shining example of friendships. I am looking forward to reading your Advent thoughts. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Joanne. It was fun to write and live out. I love the gift of people around the table. Thanksgiving blessings to you.
I’m looking forward to your Advent series, Mary! I hope I’ll be able to keep up. Once a week sounds so do-able and then life happens, lol! Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving!
I am thrilled to have you here and I look forward to you joining me for the Advent series. I pray you are granted just the right amount of time to keep up. Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours.
I recognized all of you in that cute picture! Thanks for sharing it. And I’m glad you’re changing the posting time because it works much better for me. Looking forward to see what happens with the changes on this wonderful linkup!
I am glad you “know” us from this beautiful online writing world. I pray you experience some beautiful life around the table in your own life.
Glad the new link up time will work out better. Thanksgiving blessings!
Mary,
You, Debbie, Patti, and Holly look FABULOUS!! So encouraged to see you continuing to get together. Sometimes gathering around the table takes hard work and effort, but so worth it!! Since I just had my gallbladder out (not planned) I am doing something new for me – I’ve ordered Thanksgiving dinner and will pick it up tomorrow. The lengths people will go to in order to not have to cook lol. But really, what a huge sigh of relief. Maybe I will not be so exhausted so as to actually be able to concentrate on people vs. dishes all coming out of the oven in perfect unison. So glad you’ll be writing for Advent! I love the quiet preparing of my heart so I’ll be tuning in.
Thanksgiving blessings sweet friend,
Bev xo
It does take had work to gather your people around the table but you are right in saying it’s worth it. I love that you are giving yourself the gift of just being with your people on Thanksgiving. I always tell my kids it’s not about the food but the people who gather together around the table.
May you find incredible presence this Thanksgiving. Can’t wait to see you for my Advent series.
Mary, I love how you showed all the places where Jesus shared a meal, and how He was the common factor in each situation. I’m so thankful He is with us in every meal, in every interaction. I just need to remember Him in conversations that are hard (like with boys who have their own agenda when I have mine . . . 🙂 ).
You have such a quiet beauty in your writing and in who you are. I thank God for you often.
Thanks for sharing the changes coming in #TellHisStory. They sound exciting! I hope you have a joyful Thanksgiving, friend!
I have told you before but you are doing an amazing job raising your boys. Parenting is not easy but produces much fruit.
Your kind words mean so much to me. We all have those moments we need to be seen and heard. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m so glad you got to spend some much-needed catch-up and refueling time with friends, Mary! It’s always such a treat to meet up with friends who share our same heartbeat! Hugs to you and Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!
There is nothing like those real, in life meetups. I am blessed by everyone. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We’ve always lived away from extended family on both sides, but treasured the times we could get together with them as well as the dear ones who have been part of our lives along the way.
What a neat experience to get together with writer/blogger friends! I’ve met a couple of blogging friends in person – one moved nearby and is an even more treasured friend now. I had no idea when I started blogging that I would be so blessed with friendships from people I might never meet in person til heaven. I love that we can gather around a “virtual” table and fellowship.
I remember my dad thinking it was a little weird when I talked about my online friends. But truly they all are such treasures.I love that you have a writing friend who lives close by. What a treat.
I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Eating together certainly does seem to have been a key part of Jesus’ ministry! There is something special about those times together round the table with close family or friends. I’m glad you had such a great time with your writing friends and I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!
Food is a great way to gather people around the table, but it doesn’t end there. Jesus gathered will all sorts of people but the most important part was the fact that he was there and the lessons he taught. I pray you find many opportunities to share life around the table. Blessings!
God’s family fills in the gaps where our own can not. 🙂
Amen. It is a beautiful thing to watch how this happens in your life. I have been the recipient of my church family filling in the gaps over and over. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving blessings, friend. And thank you for showing us what healthy blogging boundaries look like.
A lovely, gracious nudge …
I so appreciate you speaking into my life.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too. Creating community and growing it is so important to me, but I need to do it in a way that provides balance for all of us.
Thank you for always being a voice of reason for me. Love you!
I’m so glad you have a group of writing friends who can connect on a deeper level, Mary. Surely a blessing! Yes! Jesus is the only magic piece to the puzzle! Love, hugs, and Thanksgiving blessings to you!
I am beyond blessed that God brought the four of us together. But really He will do this for any group of people willing to gather around the table when He is at the center. I pray you have a sweet time of gathering on Thanksgiving! Love and hugs!
I love your heart for friends, family and Jesus lady! Have a blessed week of Thanksgiving 🙂
What sweet words! It doesn’t get better than friends, family, and Jesus, does it? Happy Thanksgiving!
I so appreciate you Mary, and taking those brave steps of faith to share all that God is asking of you. Love the smiles of your writing friends too. This is a very timely message for me as seems like a sifting is happening when it comes to relationships, and you’ve reminded me to rest in His promises that He knows our hearts and His ways are loving. Happy Thanksgiving!
It has taken me a lot of years to learn the gift of life around the table. For so long, I felt I wasn’t doing it right not realizing there really isn’t a right or a wrong. It is a willingness to invite God to lead the way. And what He does is so much better than what we could have ever planned.
I pray the sifting is painless and productive. Blessings, friend!
Amen!
You all are so beautiful inside & out.
Thank you Meghan! So are you and I have the pleasure of having met you in person. It’s fun seeing you here today. Happy Thanksgiving!