Also, shame on the person who thumbs-downed you. Your response was very honest and one I respect.

What is it about meals that seems to bring out the Pharisee in Christians?

I don’t think God is angry at that. I make mistakes and forget my keys all the time. That’s why I thank God that He doesn’t mind. What matters is that I follow Jesus.

My family is not Christian. I don’t believe this bars them from happiness in afterlife or being with me in the afterlife. I’ll be in Heaven, and Nirvana will be connected to Heaven.

My grandparents always said grace before Christmas dinner, but they don’t do that for everyday meals. I’m confused as to whether they are truly Christians, or just claiming it to appease me. I don’t want them to not be in Heaven with me, but my mother says she’s a “lost cause” to convert. She is too set in her ways, and while I pray for her and for my close friends, I doubt she will change because of me. She doesn’t like me “evangelizing” because she doesn’t believe in it. I’m not sure what to do. Other than to change my beliefs about Heaven. This actually was something that bothered me so much that I was depressed for several months, though eating habits also had something to do with that. I’m not always the best “Christian” but God forgives and though I fail a thousand times, His mercy is still upon me. Though I do the same thing like forgetting my keys, He is faithful to forgive and not be angry.

“A thousand times I’ve failed, still Your mercy remains…”

~Hillsong

However, I also have a paranoid fear of praying out loud. I can’t even pray in front of my boyfriend of 2 years. My awkwardness always comes when I’m in a restaurant with someone and the food comes when we’re in the middle of conversation. How do I interrupt the conversation to bow my head long enough to pray without getting weird looks for not praying.

Whenever we eat together, my boyfriend says the mealtime prayer now, rather than my awkward silent-head-bowed prayer.

I’m always looking to jazz up my own prayers so I like listening to different people pray and then quickly pull my journal from my purse to jot down a few notes.

I grew up Catholic and my Dad still has a hard time with the hand holding and “Protestant-longwindedness” when we eat with people from my church.

He’s a very efficient man.

One Christmas break, I invited a friend to our home for the evening. She’d never been there before and was unfamiliar with the whole thing. Imagine the setup — my dad and mom, brother and his wife, other brother and his wife, me and my friend, all around the table.

As was custom, we sat at the table and reached out to join hands; she saw what we were doing and joined in. As was custom, we bowed our heads as Dad led in a brief prayer of thanks; she saw what we were doing and joined in. As was their custom, everyone else at the table leaned over to the person in the next chair for a kiss, right on the lips; my friend suddenly looked pretty uncomfortable. I realized quickly that the ritual had likely been misinterpreted, and reassured her that I wasn’t about to kiss her.

Turns out the prayer wasn’t the awkward part

I figure it’s part of being a good guest to respect the beliefs of the hosts and bow your head and part of being a good host not to make your guests feel like infidel heathens.