Make Room at the Table (There’s Room)

For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. 

I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 

I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. 

I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. 

I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty 

or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, 

when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, 

you were refusing to help me.’

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, 

but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:42-46 (NLT)

Wow, right?

I mean what a punch, to consider that whoever we give to or choose not to give to is a direct receptor tapped into Jesus!

Laymen’s terms: What you do to them, you do to Him.

I recall a hit song in 1995 by Joan Osborne called, “What if God was one of us?”

While rhetoric in its delivery (given its messaging platform of airplay, CD or otherwise is a one-sided conversation) I will still confidently answer, “He’s all of us!” 

It’s up to us to see who knit us together in our mother’s womb, receive it as the only way, truth and life, and should we refuse to see Him in ourselves and in others then we will “go away to eternal punishment.”

Ouch! I agree.

But, please don’t shoot the messenger.

And, don’t say we weren’t warned either.

He speaks continually to our hearts, through conviction.

He has been speaking from the beginning of time, through signs and wonders; through passed down scrolls and oral traditions.

Some are just choosing to not heed the transcript conveyed in many forms.

Now onto my point and how all of that relates to my title: 

“Make Room at the Table (There’s Room”.

When we consider the above scripture referencing hunger, thirst, sick, etc., let’s consider a metaphoric table; offering up nourishment for the body, mind and soul, and thus many needs to be met.

Now let’s consider this table as a potluck banquet setting, where we are all responsible for bringing something which will serve others; in turn, we too will be served. 

These mind, body and soul requirements must then come with a plethora of bullet points on the list of choices that can be brought to the table.

Naturally, using the gifts that God has given each of us will likely mean not everyone will show up with a bowl of salad, or a slab of sugary substances.

Some will come with a flask full of encouragement.

Some, with a bowl full of melodies and lyrics.

Others may carry in a plate of prophesy, or a skillet of scripture to inspire.

The prayer warriors are usually pretty obvious when they set their empty tray on the table; asking you to put your request upon it so they can take it home with them and press in fervently on your behalf.

You get the picture here.

The sacrificial body of Christ isn’t just purposed for us to receive life from.

It acts as a symbol of varying layers, where we learn how much God loves us and thus wishes to provide for all of our needs; mind, body, and soul. 

But, it also acts as a symbol exemplary of how we must also love others.

We are called to be the body and thus to serve, and the recipe we use for serving will either come from grandma’s box of family secrets or from our own box of life’s experiences.

Still, they must come with a pure heart’s intention to feed the ones who need it the most; whether they know they are needing it or not.

Here’s the thing though; not everyone will have something to give.

Or, perhaps no-one ever taught them how to cook so they feel unworthy of what they have to offer.

As such, they choose not to come.

You see, something got lost in translation when they learned it was a potluck.

What we often forget is that in such settings there usually is too much food brought anyway.

So, there’s always more than enough to go around.

In some cases, the giver will return home with leftovers to share with their own family or loved ones. The gift keeps giving.

If only we could actually bring the same serving amounts, when we consider the table of life as a potluck setting.

This table should be a never ending flow of bringing and receiving. 

Sometimes you will come to the table with just enough strength to receive. 

Only, no eyes will be upon you in judgment because the ebb flow of bringing and receiving allows no time to look; only enough time to respond in spirit to what’s neither to the left or to the right, led only by love’s light.

In my lifetime as a Christian, I have often heard — both in sermon and in song — reference to the table as from Psalm 23:5: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

And gosh, I completely understand why that is such a cup-runneth-over scripture to turn to during some of our darkest moments.

In this case, the enemy can come in many forms, and its greatest form is spiritual; for “our battle is not with flesh and blood […].”

That said, it could come in the form of trauma, sickness, disease, a plethora of suffering “thorns”, and rejection. The list continues.

Back to our metaphoric potluck banquet table of life and how it correlates with the first scripture I shocked some of you with…

If we are the image of Christ, then how can we — as He — prepare a table for others, in the presence of their enemies that come in the form of many things?

In all honesty, I wrote the song, “Make Room at the Table (There’s Room)” a couple of months ago (September, 2025) due to a heavy attack from the enemy of rejection.

I was feeling an overwhelming sense of rejection from a collective of people who are Christians and are supposed to understand the essence and value of the table.

There was no room at their proverbial table collective for someone of my age.

As a matter of fact, while they humoured me — encouraged me to participate in the meetings — I continued to feel that I would never fit into their clique or mold.

When I did offer up my help as an educator, elder, etc., I was informed there was no need.

I even got the “we’ll be in touch” response which has only turned into a field of crickets inside my busy mind.

What this weaved into was a trigger of lifetime rejection trauma, then into anger (righteous, honestly), yet still surrounded in prayer.

It was all consuming and not healthy for my creative being.

So, I turned it into a song (aforementioned) and into a testimony which I shared at a Women’s Conference on October 8, 2025. Ironically, it was mere days before Thanksgiving. So, the metaphor was apropos.

I also prepared a check-list for each woman to take home with them and refer to daily, calling it “Am I making room? — Self-Check List”.

To that end, I will attach it to this blog, should you wish to have your own copy.

More importantly, what this whole triggering of trauma allowed me to do was to go a little deeper into what Jesus would have me do with this.

Given music has always been my safe form of channelling and then dealing and healing, writing the song was exactly as God directed me to do.

But first, I had to come outside of myself and stop the self-implosion of sorts.

Where to from here, I don’t need to know.

All that matters in this story is that I focus on the ebb flow of bringing and receiving, and bringing and receiving at His potluck banquet table.

In love,

Paula

Make Room at the Table (There’s Room at the Table)

You say you have known me

Where the womb beheld me

Still, I keep on questioning where I fit in

Too much or too little for their own wineskin

There’s no room

All the culture cancelling

Has got your people trembling

Follow what’s trending or you won’t be blending

Yet you have set us apart   

So, there’s room 

Chorus 1

Room at the table

When I don’t feel able 

To come just as I am, broken and scarred

Worthy or marred

Who’ll set a place for me?  

Your covenant conceals me

Your scars convey equity

A call and a purpose has been set upon us

Whether we come bold or meek

You make room

Chorus 2

Room at the table

Whether I feel able 

You say come as you are, broken and scarred

Whether I’m ready or worthy or marred

‘Cause you set a place for me

For me 

Bridge

At His table there’s no room for ego

Coveting stirs up evil

We are called to encourage each other

A new hope you’ll discover 

Your faith will recover

Last Chorus

Making room at the table 

For those who aren’t able 

To come as they are, broken and scarred

Whether they’re ready or worthy or marred

You’re making room when you open your heart

This love will spread far

Then He’ll make room for your call

There’s room for us all

You make room

So I’ll make room

You make room

So I’ll make room 

You make room

So I’ll make room  

You make room

So I’ll make room

Music and Lyrics by, Paula Walker ©2025

 (Short Clip)