Saying grace at a meal?

Question

okay this will sound dumb but i thought i would prepare myself for the future. If you are at dinner with your boyfriend or girlfriends parents, and they ask you to say grace, what do you say? My family never said grace before a meal in fact we barely ate at the same table together so i have no idea!! I think it would be nice to volunteer to say grace but i have no idea what to say besides something like "lord bless this food we are about to recieve.." and thats it..

Answer 1

People say grace if they are religious, so don't assume everyone would do this. If you are put on the spot, and are not a believer, then simply say something to the effect of thank you for the opportunity to spend time with each other over this meal. Don't pray to a god you don't believe in. Hopefully a b/f's family would not embarrass you and put you on the spot like this. If you are a believer, then short and to the point is preferable. "Thank you Lord for this day and for these people gathered in love and for the food we are about to receive. Amen."

Answer 2

Wow, that could be quite uncomfortable, especially if one where an atheist!  I think I would want my significant other to discourage a potentially awkward situation before it took place.

Answer 3

Any blessing that is from the heart should be respectfully received if they request you deliver it.

Answer 4

It would be extremely rude for someone who did not know you well to ask you to say grace.  Should this happen, simply reply that you would prefer not to (in a nice way)....such as..."Thank you, but I would prefer that a family member say the grace".  Then just close your mouth, the ball is in their court.

Answer 5

ask someone that is a person that says grace

Answer 6

Anytime that you say grace, it is not personal just respectful and you can add a personal note at the end.  Just say what you know, as mentioned and trust me they will all say amen!

Answer 7

grace...she died thirty years ago

Answer 8

God is a real person, talk to him as such. Ask that he bless the food you are about to eat, ask that he bless the family providing the meal. Ask for the forgiveness of all present for things they might have done that offends him and ask for continued guidance.

Answer 9

You've obviously put alot of thought into this scenario already.  If you feel strongly that you may be asked to say grace, maybe you could practice something simple to say, so that you're (i) prepared, (ii) confident enough to say grace and (iii) secure in the fact that you know what to say so that you can enjoy the meal and not worry about whether they might ask you to say grace.

Think of nice things to say, say it from your heart and don't be afraid if you stumble over your words.  You could thank the family for inviting you to have a meal with them, give thanks for the time of fellowship, thanks for the food, bless everyone with good health and prosperity.  There are any number of things you can be thankful for but, the more you pray out loud, the better you get--the smoother the execution.  As they say, practice makes perfect, and it's never too late to start thanking God for all the blessings in your life.

Good luck

Answer 10

Say I'm sorry I've said grace before.. Be honest with them.

Answer 11

.As long as you say it, and sound sincere, you will be be OK.

Answer 12

I'm an atheist so wouldn't say a conventional grace but to be polite and respectful would probably say something like 'Thanks to the farmers who grew (whatever you're eating), thanks to (whoever made the meal) for preparing it so well and thanks to good company to share it with.