‘Welcome To My Family Table‘
Years ago, after a decade of praying for one of my children, the Lord whispered to my heart to stop trying to convince them to turn to the Lord. There had been years of watching this child chase after everything the world had to offer, things that were stealing their true purpose and God given destiny. In my frustration and in my fear I would try to plead, convince, and argue with them to get them to ‘see’ what they were blinded to, the reality of His love for them. This only lead to tears and at times very loud voices.
It was when the Lord started to speak to me about simply loving them and letting Him do the rest that everything changed.
It was as if the Lord said “they’ve heard all the words, and know all the arguments, they need to feel My love through you. They need an encounter with My love”
Not the kind of worldly Co-dependent love that makes excuse for sin, but the kind of love that speaks higher of their purpose and calls out destiny so their hearts can hear it.
I asked the Lord to show me what that would look like. In times past when I would try my best to show His love to them it was more of a manipulation than a show of love. It ended up me trying to convince them of something they weren’t able to understand or feel at that moment. Maybe it was because I was doing everything I thought I was ‘supossed’ to do. The research, the information, the religious tract type arguments that only left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth because it lacked Spirit led direction and love.
So, I prayed asking the Lord to really show me what He meant and what that would look like. As I did, a scene started to unfold in my mind.
I had a vision of a huge table with a feast set and people seated all around the table. The smells of delicious food, the laughter and the chatter of conversation.
It was a beautiful picture of family.
I could hear the Lord whisper to my heart about times long ago in my childhood, of family dinners and the feeling of belonging and acceptance that I grew up knowing. It was powerful, and humbling. Powerful because the vision was infused with His presence and love. Humbling because I realized I’d been trying to convince my loved one of God’s love with arguments, and fear, not God’s love and presence.
It was from this prayer and out of the vision of the table that I decided that I was going to start having weekly Sunday dinners.
Every week.
I would cook a big Italian style meal, and my now older children would come, and bring friends if they wanted to. No one was excluded.
Isn’t that just like the Lord? To invite everyone to the table and to not hold back His goodness.
Come broken, come rough around the edges, come messy and dirty and let His love cover you and fill you making you new.
The Lord was speaking to my heart about how He was going to restore wounded hearts, heal brokenness and release real identity in His presence. All I was supposed to do was set the table. His Spirit would do the rest.
I could tell by the weightiness of the hope that I felt He was cooking’ up something good, and that the main dish was going to be His love.
Although I am Italian and I love to cook for friends and family this was going to be awkward and most likely uncomfortable at times. The thought of the arguments and disagreements of the past foreshadowed the idea, but I was willing and determined to let God sit at the head of my family table.
What’s happened since that day, what I’ve learned, encountered, and witnessed is nothing short of miracle after miracle and grace upon grace.
Parts of this book are personal stories, stories of the broken and separated from God being reconciled to Him and made new.
Stories of God’s never-ending desire to capture the restless hearts of those He created for Himself. Hearts created for relationship with Him finally finding their rest.
His grace weaving healing and victory like a tablecloth to serve His goodness on.
His mercy that set a table for all of us, and beckons us to come and find in His presence what can’t be found anywhere else.
It’s a story of brokenness being exchanged for healing and wholeness. Lessons in holding on, letting go, and contending for healing while releasing control.
This is a story of God’s kindness and His mercy over a family that is still finding its way in Him and finding freedom in His destiny for us.
I pray it releases hope over you and your family shifting generations for the Kingdom!
Welcome to my Family Table.
