A Full Table
Hello Friends,
I can hardly believe that an entire year has gone by! Yet here we are, just past the holiday season. I pray that you all have had an enjoyable and blessed Christmas. The Bussey Crew had a sweet holiday surrounded by family. It was exhausting, but I feel that our efforts were worth it to be able to spend time with loved ones. Actually, a week before Christmas I wasn’t feeling all that holly jolly. I could tell that I was starting to despair. Much weighed on my heart. Finances, life balance, homeschooling, challenges with the children, wondering if I’ve taken the right path in life. I missed my friends, and dear Mr. B was working a lot. I felt lonely. I finally got to a point where I was able to speak plainly regarding all of my feelings with my husband one night. I kind of unloaded on him a bit. He patiently sat and listened, and then took a moment to reconcile his thoughts ( I love how careful he is to speak). When he finally began to speak, do you know what he said to me? He said, “Don't worry about all of those things. Look at how you’ve been able to fill our table. All these children you’ve given birth to…we all love you, and we’re all here. No matter how hard life gets, you are a blessed woman.” I was surprised by the simplicity of his words. I thought about breakfast that morning and how we were all sitting around the table, and my eyes welled up with tears. My table was full.
And so, I continued to think about “a full table” the whole rest of the holiday. I thought about how hard the holiday was going to be for so many people. I always think of those who will have a vastly different reality than I will come Christmas. But I also thought of those who feel lonely or are rather sad over the holidays. Maybe they have lost a loved one, or things aren’t going well in life. Maybe they cant really afford to travel or get many gifts this year. Maybe they are dealing with sickness in their family. Life can be so hard.
Then I remembered that there were passages in the Bible that speak to all people being invited to the Lord’s table, allowed to be in His presence. Jesus ate with a number of different people, inviting all to sit with him and be nourished. The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-23) speaks to a feast being prepared for those who are needy and crippled. Many successful guests had declined the invitation, but Jesus said that the master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”
“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the Kingdom of God.”
~ Luke 14:15
Psalm 23:5 says:
“You preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…”
~Psalm 23: 5
In John 14:2-3, Jesus also says:
“In my Father’s house, are many rooms...I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
~John 14:2-3
Don’t you see? No matter how lonely, sad, discouraged or sick you may be; Jesus came for folks just like you! Jesus came to save you and me. He has invited you to a full table. Of course, I pray that you all found yourselves surrounded by family at some point during the holiday season. But if you didn’t, or if your circumstances didn’t change before the holiday started; I pray that you will come to realize that you’ve always had an invitation to God’s table. You were always invited into His Kingdom. You are never truly alone. We all got through this season, but who knows what Christmas 2026 will look like? This year, God revealed to me how blessed I was. He showed me just how much He cared about my family and me. He will do the same for you, if you ask Him. Next Christmas, I hope that you will remember these scriptures and know in your heart that you are loved, blessed, chosen and WELCOMED during the holidays.