Sunday Dinner

Another weekend, come and gone. Sunday dinners have changed much for our family over the years. When our children were growing up, Sunday dinner was the highlight of the family's week. I went out of my way to make a dinner that was delicious and would make for a good time of conversation around the dinner table. Seven pound home grown roast chicken was the main dish many Sundays. More often than not, there were guests for dinner. We had my grandmother for Sunday dinner for years. It was a pleasure. I had a relationship with my grandma that I had with no one else. I could tell her anything about myself; how I felt about things, what I did, and what I dreamed about. She listened carefully and then always made me feel affirmed with the things she said. I cherish her influence on my life.

We also had other people for SD. Perhaps new people in church or relatives or friends. I did much "entertaining " in those days. Nowadays, life is different. Sometimes, I don't cook dinner and we just find what we can eat. I have noticed that appetites of older people (Ken and me) and appetites of younger people (my daughter and grandson) don't always mesh. Becoming discouraged, I just quit the effort. More often than not in recent years, the Sunday table is set for three. Lately, I've decided to put more effort into eating together again for Isaiah's sake. He needs that feeling of structure and nurture. He also needs to learn what is most healthy for a family he will have one day.

Yesterday, I made meat loaf. Not Isaiah's favorite, but something he will eat, nonetheless. He ate most of the side dishes including the new recipe of sweet potato fries I made. We always enjoy those moments around the table with this young man. To close our meal, we read Isaiah a list of Biblical questions from a book he enjoys. The kid knows the facts of The Word. I am always encouraged when he answers questions I may have to think about first. I thank God for the opportunity He has given Isaiah to attend a Christian school. Many people have collectively picked up most of the tab for his education and for those people and the blessings they share, I am most humbled. Toward the end of the questions, something was said about Pharisees. I told of a teaching from Beth Moore that says, "Never argue with a Pharisee". When I heard her say that, tears came to my eyes because I thought of my wasted effort throughout my life of arguing over things that only the Spirit can effectively convince people of. When I shared that story from my own heart, Isaiah said, "yea, I had something like that recently. I can't think of it now but when I heard it I thought, 'oh, now I get it, that explains this and explains that'"

Even though he couldn't share the exact revelation, his telling of it made me so thankful to God for working in this boy's heart to reveal truth. After dinner I asked Ken if he had said his thanks yet. For what? When I explained my thankful heart he had to agree that it is pure joy when we see our loved ones express the movement of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. We thank Him.