Linger, Learn, Laugh & Love
Dinner time used to annoy me. I get squeamish touching and
smelling raw meat, but I can deal with that phobia. My annoyance had less to do
with the food preparation than the family dynamics. We cooked for at least an
hour, gathered our five kids, prayed and gave thanks to God, then listened to them joke
and tease each other, and in ten minutes waved goodbye as they cleared the table
and ran off to their video games or whatever. As they reached the teen years, it
was even harder to keep everyone together, unless cake was served of course.
Now dinner is a fun, loud, competitive time. We are not
fighting over who gets the biggest meatball or who has to exert energy, stand
up, walk to the refrigerator and retrieve the milk. We are playing trivial
pursuit. Split into two teams, each team gets a card and alternates in asking
the questions. No board or rainbow colored pieces necessary.
Playing as a team takes the pressure off one person feeling
stupid. I have memories of dreading Trivia. My brain used to freeze under
pressure. And occasionally still does. Maybe a bit more than occasionally.
Okay, my stupid brain freezes a lot, but I don’t care—we’re not playing to win
a million dollars, just to win more time with our family. We usually stay at
the table at least an hour, even longer if teams are tied. Because of jobs,
college, and sports, we don’t always have everyone at the table, but even if it’s
just one of them, we stay and play a round of trivia. Sometimes we have more
than seven at the table—friends are welcome to join a team. The more, the
merrier.
Last Sunday, the guest pastor at church mentioned how God
wants us to linger in his presence. This reminded me of our dinner/game time. Our
Father in heaven loves his family more than we can understand, so it makes
sense that he wants to spend time with us. Jesus spent time with his disciples teaching,
healing, but also eating, talking, and resting with them. And he wants that
time with us too. When we linger somewhere, it’s because we are reluctant to
leave what we are doing; we want to stay. God wants us to seek him. He wants everyone
to come to him. The more time we spend in prayer and reading God’s word, the
more we will learn about his love for us. It’s trivia time with our Heavenly
Father.
- “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
- “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
- “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy.” Psalm 16:11 NKJV
- “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7
- “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
- “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18
- “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.” Psalm 139:1-4
- “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7
Note: all verses are found in the NIV Bible unless stated.
Second note: we have
played other games that work well at the dinner table too: Family Feud and Head’s
Up on the iPhone are fun alternatives to Trivia.
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