Ask yourself, “What kind of home do I have?“

Is it a loving home? Is it a Christian home? Is it a home of discipleship? Is it a home of fellowship and community? What kind of home do I have?

In my experience, the answer to this question is discovered around the dinner table.

In his book, “You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit“, James K.A. Smith (Professor of Philosophy, Calvin College) states this:

“Never underestimate the formative power of the family supper table. This vanishing liturgy is a powerful site of formation. Most of the time it will be hard to keep the cathedral in view, especially when dinner is the primary occasion for sibling bickering. Yet even then, members of your little tribe are learning to love their neighbor. And your children are learning something about the faithful promises of a covenant-keeping Lord in the simple routine of that daily promise of dinner together.”

What happens around the dinner table is a sampling of what might be happening throughout the home. And most likely, what’s happening outside the home.

The Revelation of the Dinner Table

Around the dinner table, we can witness what a family is really passionate about. (Either positively or negatively.) Their true selves will be found.

This is a convicting thing for me to contemplate. As a husband and father, I need to be looking around my dinner table every so often, and ask myself:

“Am I leading a family of Disciples, seeking to become more like Jesus? Or am I leading a family of Sunday morning Christians?”

What Kind of Home Do I Have?

Frequently pursing the answer to this question will change how I have fellowship with Jesus? In turn, pursuing the answer to this question will change how have fellowship with my family.

It will lead me down a road to become a better husband and father.

In 1 John 1:6-7 we read:

“6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

May we all take a good look at our dinner tables tonight. We likely won’t find perfect family. But hopefully, we find families who are striving to walk in the light!

Join the Conversation, Leave Your Thoughts

In your opinion, is the dinner table an important part of household fellowship? Why or why not?