“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” Proverbs 15:17
“Better is a dry crust of bread where there is quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.” Proverbs 17:1 (net)
August 3, 2023
Have you eaten meals when things were a bit frosty between you and your spouse which the thermostat would not fix? Imagine a well prepared supper and a fight breaks out (verbal or physical). Wisdom tells us that a home is better with peace than one with fractured relationships. How is your home? Family peace and stability is hard won, but worth the effort. Allen Ross sets a good table when he says, “The ideal would be to have a loving family, friends, and great food; but short of that, a humble meal with love is preferable.” It all starts with father and mother having established God’s priorities in the home (Prov. 4:1-9). For everyone’s benefit these priorities should be pursued early in a marriage and with children in their infancy. The road to wisdom is best taken as a family trip. Learn from nature. Teach your children how God’s world works by reading up on the life of birds, ants. “Go to the ant” Solomon says (Prov. 6:6). Have some conversation that is not ruled by the television. Talk about the news and current events with biblical seasoning. Search out the wisdom of God through the experiences of the past. The social media culture has killed truth rich conversation. Is anyone reading a good book in the family? As the saying goes, “a book is an axe that breaks up the frozen seas within.” Let others in the family talk. Don’t let the natural talkers do all the talking. Are there relationship tensions that need attention in private? The road to wisdom and a peaceful home is paved with the eternal truth of God’s Word. “Apart from God there is no true insight into the world” (source unknown). Put the butter of love on that dry bread and enjoy the taste.
H
“Since the coming of television we no longer have family circles – we have semi-circles.”