Family Faith
On Wednesday, May 10, we were privileged to host Ted Neitzke who presented a talk on “Buffalo Parenting.” One finding from his research of healthy families is that they eat together. That might sound like a relatively obvious thing until you start asking around as to how many families actually do that. Interestingly enough, U.S. Cellular has a campaign called “Let’s Find US” which encourages people to disconnect from their devices. In other words, even if families are eating together, they may not be talking to each other.
So let’s suppose that people are, in fact, eating together and engaging in conversation. What’s the conversation about? Are parents asking about their children’s school day? Are children finding out about their parents’ day? And in the midst of it, is the faith brought into the conversation other than perhaps through a prayer before and after dinner? How much we talk about something, including asking questions, helps us determine what truly is (or isn’t) important to us.
As we observe Mother’s Day this Sunday, I am very thankful for my Mother and Grandmothers who were very good at naturally bringing the faith into our family conversations at the table. For instance, we had the practice of having family devotions after dinner (during which I would often be separated from my brother for goofing off… another story for another time), and we would often use devotional materials that would spark conversations. What did we think about this or that? Did we agree or disagree? Did what was written seem to match our personal experience? And then we would pray, not only using a printed prayer, but praying out loud as we were led, each taking his or her turn.
I was privileged to grow up in a family in which our faith in Jesus was an integral part of everything, but not in a forced way. It’s just who we were. I would love to say that as a parent I perfectly kept that practice going in my own family, but I didn’t. Part of the problem was my own scheduling of things during our dinner hour and not being home. Maybe you can relate, whether it be your own schedule or that of your kids.
Perhaps it’s time to rediscover the joy of eating together, talking together, praying together. After all, we have the precedent of our Lord Jesus coming to this earth to dwell with us so we can dwell with Him.
Oh, blest the house, whate’er befall, Where Jesus Christ is all in all! A home that is not wholly His— How sad and poor and dark it is! Then here will I and mine today A solemn promise make and say: Though all the world forsake His Word, I and my house will serve the Lord! (Lutheran Service Book #862, vv. 1 and 5)