Shabbat: A Weekly Reset for the Heart and Home

 Traditionally, Shabbat dinner is held on Friday night to mark the beginning of the Sabbath. Though it’s a time of shared food and fellowship with family and friends, it’s distinct and set apart by prayers, rituals, and traditional foods. Every family celebrates Shabbat a little differently, but at its core, it’s a sacred rhythm designed to honor God’s command: to rest. It’s a weekly invitation to receive the gift of rest while looking forward to the ultimate rest we’ll one day experience in heaven.

One of the most meaningful elements of Shabbat in our home is the time of prayer before the meal. This tradition resets our relationships through forgiveness and blessing. One of the most powerful moments is when the father places his hands on each child and speaks a blessing over them. Then he turns to his wife, lays his hands on her, and blesses her as well. She, in turn, blesses him.

Do you know how hard it is to lay hands on someone and say a blessing when you're angry? In our family, it feels nearly impossible to come to the table with bitterness, frustration, or unresolved conflict. Shabbat forces us to confront those tensions. Sometimes we address them before the meal; other times we deal with them right there at the table, confessing, forgiving, and often shedding tears. Shabbat offers a weekly opportunity to clear out the emotional and spiritual clutter and ensure our hearts are free from hurt.

This prayer time also strengthens our family bond. There’s something so sweet about hearing the boss speak gentle, loving words of blessing over our children. I cherish the moment when he wraps his arm around me to tell me I am worth far more than rubies and it is a powerful witness to everyone at the table.  It’s a deep honor for me to return that blessing telling him and speak life over him.

We know that the power of life and death is in the tongue. We’re called to speak encouragement and blessing over one another. And scripture gives us clear direction on how to handle conflict in our closest relationships. The Shabbat prayers are a practical, beautiful way to live out those teachings.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”

In Romans 12:21, we’re told, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

And in those hard seasons when even those in our household feel like enemies, Jesus calls us higher in Matthew 5:43-48:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”

Each week, I leave Shabbat dinner with both my belly and heart full, restored and at peace. Sometimes we follow our printed prayer guide, and other times we speak blessings from the heart. Either way, this intentional practice continues to shape our family, one meal, one prayer, one week at a time.

You can download a copy of our Shabbat prayer printout HERE.

Click below for more about Shabbat:

Discovering True Rest

Centered Around Food

Centered Around Food

 There are certain “we always” traditions that shape families. When we first got married in 2009, there was an unspoken season of discovering what our own family culture would be. One thing became clear early on.  Our family, even when it was just the two of us, would be centered around food.

I’ll never forget my first meal with the Mullens. After dating about a month, Randy’s dad invited me over for dinner which I presume was his way to get to know the girl his son was seeing. He made spaghetti in the crock pot, a salad, and garlic bread on the side.  We sat at a simple, yet beautifully set table, and we ate together.

A few months later, I joined the Mullens on vacation to Yosemite. That trip revealed the deep roots of their tradition around meals. All the Mullens can cook and set a beautiful table. Grandma Norma treated every breakfast, lunch, and dinner as an act of love and service to her family.  Each  meal was thoughtfully planned.  She set a gorgeous table and prepared the most delicious food. Sitting down to a meal with the Mullens felt like receiving a warm hug.

A few months later, Randy experienced his first Christmas Eve with my family. Everyone was welcome. Tables were pushed together and lined with food each family had brought, forming the biggest buffet.  At the center was a lechon, a whole roasted pig with an apple in its mouth.  My extended family knew how to celebrate.  With music, games, and dancing, the entire space radiated joy.

Centering celebration and gathering around food isn’t a human idea, it’s divine. From God’s provision of manna and the first Shabbat in Exodus 16 to Jesus preparing a meal for His disciples in John 21:1–14, food has always been more than nourishment.  It’s been a means of remembrance and a time of fellowship with one another and with God. Through the act of eating together, God invites us: all who are hungry, all who are thirsty, to taste and see that He is good.

Our first Thanksgiving as a married couple became our “we always” and the beginning of our own traditions, blending two cultures into one. We had just moved to Mississippi, our first duty station, and at the ripe young age of twenty three years old, we couldn’t afford flights home. So we had a feast of our own. I roasted my first turkey and made a humble snack board to nibble on while Randy watched the football game. And we enjoyed a beautiful meal at a simply set table.  It was perfect. 

That table has become the center of our home. It’s the altar where we worship. It’s the well where we receive nourishment for our bodies and soul. In our home, we always come to the table. And we always celebrate.