Tiny Devotional for Saturday, 07-17-2021

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we have pleasant children with us.

Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of feasting with strife.
Proverbs 17:1, NASB


Feasting done right

For the purposes of this post, I’m equating ‘feasting’ with big meals/events, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas, but including any family get-together with food.

I was an independent adult before I learned about ‘dry morsel,’ and I have never truly experienced privation. However, I have an understanding of this verse that goes deep, because ‘feasting’ and ‘strife,’ were essentially the same thing, for most of my formative years.  Fortunately, my persecutor and I found forgiveness, and reconciliation through love; but the consequences were extreme.

First of all, NO family meal should be marred with turmoil. It’s a captive audience; show respect for that, and save conflict for another time.

Second, it’s bad enough to ruin a family meal, but ruining a feast is worse.  Feasts are supposed to be a time for celebration, gratitude, and joy, NOT strife. Got something negative to say about someone seated with you at the dinner table on Thanksgiving? Keep it to yourself. If it’s not a word of thanks or encouragement, SHUT UP!

For those who are on the receiving in of feasting-day abusiveness, good news: dry bread eaten where your persecutor can’t get at you is delicious! So, take advantage of each and every opportunity to escape the behavior of toxic family members who don’t respect boundaries.

More good news: there are more than the two choices the proverb lists. Today, my family experiences FEAST and PEACE together, and that, in itself, is cause for celebration.


Peace be on your household.


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