The Dinner Table Discovery

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Psalm 139:16 — You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

The best God-conversations happen at our dinner table. I’m going to let you in on one of them.

It was after dinner, and we were still sitting around the table when my five-year-old eagerly exclaimed, “Guess what, Mama? Guess what, Daddy? I talked to God in my dream today at naptime!”

If I wasn’t all ears before, I was now. I probably had the same look on my face as a child during story time. So, I asked what anyone would ask, “What did God look like? What was He saying to you?”

To my surprise, she turned to me and said so clearly, “He looked familiar.”

“What does familiar mean?” My husband asked.

She answered, “You know—like my friend at school. I know her. She is familiar to me.”

“That’s right,” I added. “You know your friend, so she’s familiar. And the same is true for God.”

I continued, “God knew you before you were even born. Before a single day of your life had passed, He already loved you and had His hand on your life. So maybe it makes sense that He felt familiar to you.”

That night, my momma heart felt like it grew three sizes bigger. I was reminded of something simple but powerful in that moment—children don’t strive to know God the way we often do. They simply trust that He’s near.

To them, God isn’t distant or complicated… He’s familiar.

Maybe that’s the invitation for all of us—to come back to that kind of faith.

Because when we make space for Him, even around something as ordinary as a dinner table, we may just find that God is closer—and more familiar—than we ever realized.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When was the last time God felt familiar and close to you?
  • What makes you sometimes view God as distant or complicated?
  • How does Psalm 139 change the way you think about your identity and worth?
  • What can you learn from the simple faith and trust of a child?
  • How can you create more space in your everyday life to notice God’s presence?
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