The Family Table

When I was pregnant with my first daughter back in the spring of 2014, my husband and I attended a course of birth classes which were held at the instructor’s house. During one class, we were sitting around their dining table. I remember studying that table and the stories it had to tell. It had been through some action; chips, scratches, paint, and nail polish adorned it’s surface like badges of honor. 

Now, in 2024, I have three daughters, and our table looks much the same. It has seen its share of action from our family. The family dinners, conversations, schoolwork, Kinetic Sand, Play-Doh, crafts, manicures, climbing toddlers, and much more. Our table has quite a testimony. I cannot help but see the parallels that our tables have with our hearts.

What scratches, marks, and stains does your heart have? Maybe heartbreak, loss, sadness, illness, depression, and struggle. But also love, kindness, laughter, forgiveness, and happy memories.

God can take our struggles and hard times and weave them into the fabric of our lives if we allow Him to use these things to mold us into who He wants us to be. The hard things we go through add to the testimony we have to share with others. So do not be afraid to be authentic and tell your story. You never know who needs to hear it.

Jesus told us in John 16:33 ”I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on Earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world.”

James 1:2-4 tells us to have joy when we face trials, though admittedly this can be tough. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

If we have faith in Jesus, we know that he will be with us through it all and will never leave us. 1 Peter 4:19 says “So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”

When I look back on my life so far, I see the scratches and marks that were left on my heart by others or by my own mistakes. I also see how everything I have been through has brought me to who and where I am today. God had a plan for it all, even if I was not ready to hear it or play along.

Now I am listening and learning to trust His plan for my life. One day I will look back at the stories I have hidden in my heart, much like the marks on the table; and as I remember it all – the good times and the challenging times – I will see how it has made up the tapestry of my life. This is my unique testimony to share with others.

Don’t be afraid to share your story. It may help someone see the other side of the trials they are going through.

"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others." 2 Corinthians 1:4

We can use our chips and scratches to comfort others just as we ourselves have been comforted by Jesus.

Mel Eyler

Mel Eyler is originally from the UK and now lives in Waynesboro PA with her husband, Nathen, and three daughters, Naomi (9), Leah (7), and Hannah (3).