Staying at the Table

No one here is standing up to leave.

Chairs are pulled close.

One person reaches.

Another speaks.

A third stays near enough to listen.

This is what staying looks like.

Many of us learned that conflict meant disappearance.

That tension required retreat.

That honesty risked rejection.

So we perfected exits.

We went quiet.

We changed subjects.

We left ourselves behind to keep the peace.

Shrinking often shows up in relationships.

At tables.

In conversations.

In moments where something true wants to be said.

But Christ keeps inviting people to remain.

To stay present when their instinct is flight.

To let their voice take up space.

To receive care without apologizing for needing it.

Stopping shrinking sometimes looks like staying in the chair.

Keeping your hands visible.

Breathing while your heart races.

Allowing the moment to stretch without rushing to fix it.

There are histories that taught you speaking was unsafe.

Rooms where honesty cost too much.

Relationships that punished vulnerability.

Jesus knows those rooms.

He does not force disclosure.

He teaches people how to stay slowly.

With support.

With dignity.

With choice.

If today you resist leaving a conversation early, that is courage.

If you name one small truth instead of swallowing it, that is faith.

If you let someone meet you instead of managing the moment, that is healing.

You do not have to abandon yourself to remain loved.

Christ is teaching you how to stay at the table.