A year ago, while my husband and I were on an anniversary getaway to Tennessee, I stumbled upon it in a little shop and it immediately caught my attention. It was much smaller than the one I remember hanging in my Meme's house, but I didn't mind. It was the same image, and that was what mattered.
A simple photograph. A man, bowed in prayer over his soup and bread, his hands folded and his beard white. But, it was always the Bible in the background that I loved. I knew it had been read countless times and would be waiting for him when he finished his meal to be read again. And it was so big! Bigger than his soup, bigger even than the loaf of bread, as if it was the main course.
My husband bought me the print and it now resides on a shelf directly over our dining table, just where my Meme's used to be.
And something happened inside of me when I placed that picture where the kids would see it at every meal. I experienced a longing. Looking once again at the man's Bible, I found myself wanting my children to love feeding their spirits as much as they loved to eat at that dining table. And with three growing boys in the house, my children like to eat quite a bit.
So, that's how it began. We started that week and haven't stopped since. After every meal that we eat all together, my husband opens the Bible and reads to us. Sometimes it's just a few verses. Sometimes an entire chapter. Sometimes we move on quickly, hurrying to the car to get a kid to practice. Sometimes we stay and talk it over. Sometimes questions are asked. Sometimes we pray together that the words we've heard would come alive in us in a new way.
Over the past year, we read Matthew. We finished a couple of Paul's letters. We listened to the life of David. We're now in Acts.
It hasn't been a big deal. But, it has been a huge deal. No fanfare, just life-changing.
Because when my children think back to our meal times together, they won't just remember my cooking, our conversations, and the laughter. They will also remember it's where they heard the words of God. And when they're all grown up, they'll know what the main course is.
Now that's a legacy.