I am a great believer in sitting down to eat! Is it my own idea? No, I get it from the Bible. In fact, I believe the Bible has the "last say" on anything we need to know.
On the whole, I don't believe we should stand up, or walk around while eating. We are not meant to do it "on the run." I believe that eating is far more than digesting food. It is a time to relax instead of work. It is communion and fellowship together. It is sitting around a table together.
When Jesus multiplied the food and fed the multitudes, He made sure things were done in an orderly manner. Matthew 14:19 says, "He COMMANDED the multitude to SIT DOWN on the grass..." In John's account it says that Jesus "distributed to the disciples and the disciples to those WHO WERE SITTING DOWN" (John 6:10-11). In Mark's Gospel he says that Jesus told them to "all sit down by groups" (Mark 6:39-42). I am sure this would have aided in the distribution of food, but also enabled them to fellowship together as they ate.
I don't believe that children should be allowed to eat whenever they like, or wherever they like in the home. I believe that we as mothers should order the home. We should make each meal time special where we all sit down together.
I love the picture God paints of a family that is blessed of the Lord, "Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young live trees as they SIT AROUND YOUR TABLE" (Psalm 128:3 NLT).
Love from Nancy