As we trade the sultry days of summer for the crisp cool days of fall, I am reminded of the sites and smells of the season. Pumpkin spice begins to take over everything from our coffee, to candles, to food products. The greasy smells of concession stands and fair food reminds me of football and fall. Before long we will gather together and the smells of a Thanksgiving feast will fill our kitchens.
Fall also brings with it a business like no other season. With the start of school and practices, dinners are often in the car, picked up in a drive thru, or what we commonly referred to as “fend for yourself” or eat a bowl of cereal. Dinner around the table becomes harder to do and we have to make more of an effort to gather together as a family. Having been through twenty eight seasons with my coach, I can’t imagine how many meals I ate alone with the kids with his food tucked away in the microwave. Then when he came home, I resumed my place around the table while he ate, so that I was intentionally making time for him in the business.
My kitchen table is an important place in my home. It is not only where we gather to eat, talk, or play games, it is also my meeting place with the Lord each morning as I read His Word. The table is where I “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8 NIV) While my table is worn with age and really needs a good refinishing, it is where I meet and talk with God, pour out my thoughts, questions, concerns, and more. Many times I have looked up to share something that I am learning about our Father. To explain a truth that has been revealed or to simply sigh, bow my head and pray.
Yes, this season is busy and time is always going to be an issue. However, I’ve learned that just as I was intentional about sitting with my husband so he didn’t eat alone, I must also be intentional about spending time in God’s Word. Feasting on God’s Word provides us with a “spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 NIV). It teaches us that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NIV). While breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, starting your day in the Word will fuel your soul.
It took me many years and a lot of excuses to get to the point of reading my Bible daily. However, just as I am thoughtful about sitting down with my husband after a late practice, I am just as intentional about sitting and opening the Bible around my table in the mornings. So while the fall season offers many opportunities to gather around the table with family and friends, I invite you to pull up to your table and feast on the Word of God. “The grass withers, the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” Isaiah 40:8 NIV).
Fall also brings with it a business like no other season. With the start of school and practices, dinners are often in the car, picked up in a drive thru, or what we commonly referred to as “fend for yourself” or eat a bowl of cereal. Dinner around the table becomes harder to do and we have to make more of an effort to gather together as a family. Having been through twenty eight seasons with my coach, I can’t imagine how many meals I ate alone with the kids with his food tucked away in the microwave. Then when he came home, I resumed my place around the table while he ate, so that I was intentionally making time for him in the business.
My kitchen table is an important place in my home. It is not only where we gather to eat, talk, or play games, it is also my meeting place with the Lord each morning as I read His Word. The table is where I “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8 NIV) While my table is worn with age and really needs a good refinishing, it is where I meet and talk with God, pour out my thoughts, questions, concerns, and more. Many times I have looked up to share something that I am learning about our Father. To explain a truth that has been revealed or to simply sigh, bow my head and pray.
Yes, this season is busy and time is always going to be an issue. However, I’ve learned that just as I was intentional about sitting with my husband so he didn’t eat alone, I must also be intentional about spending time in God’s Word. Feasting on God’s Word provides us with a “spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 NIV). It teaches us that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NIV). While breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, starting your day in the Word will fuel your soul.
It took me many years and a lot of excuses to get to the point of reading my Bible daily. However, just as I am thoughtful about sitting down with my husband after a late practice, I am just as intentional about sitting and opening the Bible around my table in the mornings. So while the fall season offers many opportunities to gather around the table with family and friends, I invite you to pull up to your table and feast on the Word of God. “The grass withers, the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” Isaiah 40:8 NIV).
-Janie Shiflett
*Janie lives in Rome, GA and has enjoyed twenty-nine seasons with her husband Jeff. He is currently the Athletic Director for his school and has coached football, baseball, and wrestling during his career. The mother to three sons and a daughter in love, she also works as an Instructional Technologist for her school system
*Janie lives in Rome, GA and has enjoyed twenty-nine seasons with her husband Jeff. He is currently the Athletic Director for his school and has coached football, baseball, and wrestling during his career. The mother to three sons and a daughter in love, she also works as an Instructional Technologist for her school system
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