FOSTER CARE 26 october 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida edition More Than a Meal There’s something sacred that happens around the table. Last month, we explored the idea of the table as a “thin space,” a place where the veil between heaven and earth feels remarkably thin. This month, as we move deeper into fall and near the holidays, we take that one step further: the table is not just where we meet God. It’s also where we meet one another. October gives us a pause before the flurry of the holidays, but it already carries the spirit of gathering. There’s football on the weekends, comfort food in the oven, and an instinct to reconnect. And when we do, one of the most beautiful things we experience at the table is this: giving and receiving, not just of food, but of presence, stories and belonging. The sacred exchange Think about your last family meal. Someone made a dish, someone passed a plate, someone shared a memory, someone cracked a joke. In a way, every moment around the table is an exchange. We don’t just come to eat, we come to offer and receive something intangible: time, attention, humor, wisdom, vulnerability and encouragement. The table is one of the few places left in modern life where we are invited to both give and receive fully. You bring something — your personality, your heritage, your stories — and others receive it with joy. And in turn, you get to receive theirs. At its best, the table is a space of mutual honoring. Whether it’s mashed potatoes or a memory, jerk turkey or a word of encouragement, something sacred happens when people come as they are and leave more whole. A 4KIDS table For our 4KIDS Families, this kind of exchange is deeply personal. Many of our foster and adoptive parents are gathering children around their tables who, not long ago, had no idea where their next meal would come from, let alone if they were welcome to share in one. At first, it’s hard. New children may sit silently. They may eat quickly or defensively. They may not know how to joke or how to listen. But over time, as these parents keep setting the table, they keep showing up with love, they keep making room for every child and something shifts. Children begin to open up. They laugh. They share. They ask for seconds. One bite, one conversation, one connection at a time, the table becomes a place of safety. And what’s beautiful is that it’s not just the children who receive. Our families will be the first to tell you — they’ve been changed too. By the joy, the perspective and the resilience of the children in their homes. There’s mutual giving. Mutual receiving. And it’s holy ground. The gift of being fully you When Jesus gathered around tables, He didn’t just give sermons. He invited people into relationship. He received hospitality from tax collectors, shared meals with friends and strangers and even chose a table to introduce the New Covenant. Why? Because tables are disarming. They remind us that we’re all human. And they create space to be fully ourselves. This season, you have the opportunity to give one of the most profound gifts you carry: yourself. Not a polished version. Not a perfect story. But the real, present, intentional you. And in return, you may just receive someone else’s heart in a new way. A story you didn’t expect. A vulnerability you hadn’t seen. A moment of unexpected connection. Making space As you gather this fall, whether it’s over a slow meal or fast food, a fancy dining room or a messy kitchen, look around your table. Who’s there? Who might be missing? What’s being shared beyond the food? Create space for all of it: the laughter and the disagreements, the quiet moments and the rowdy ones. These are the ingredients of transformation. This is what makes the holidays sacred, not the decorations or the calendar date, but the people, the presence, and the profound act of giving and receiving who we really are. Let the table teach us There’s dignity in passing the plate. There’s beauty in receiving what someone else has offered. And there’s healing in knowing that who you are is enough and that your presence matters. So let’s bring our full selves to the table this season. Let’s give love freely. Let’s receive joy deeply. Let’s taste and see the goodness of God, not just in the bread, but in the breaking of it together. Because sometimes the most sacred exchanges don’t happen in sermons or sanctuaries. They happen right here — between bites, around the table. Since September 2024, Andrew Holmes has been serving as the President of 4KIDS--a ministry that provides Hope, Homes, and Healing to kids and families in crisis. Learn more and catch the vision of a home for every child at 4KIDS.us. Giving And Receiving - Andrew Holmes - 4KIDS President
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