A CALL TO FAMILY HARMONY

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

Proverbs 17:1

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We have just celebrated Thanksgiving, a time of reflection about the many blessings we have received, a time when family and friends gather together for a meal and a time of fellowship.

Unfortunately, those times of fellowship turn into times of battle, am I right?

Maybe you have experienced this yourself. You get together to enjoy a day of what should be celebration only to find family member choosing instead to use the moment as a platform for conflict, infighting, and bickering. Instead of the spirit of thanksgiving, you get a spirit of war as people who are flesh and blood can’t seem to bury the hatchet, love one another, and reconcile their differences.

It’s a very sad reality of what too often happens at family get togethers and why some people hold their breath when those reunions happen (did I mention Christmas and New Year’s Eve/Day were right around the corner).

So what are we to do about this issue? Is there some way to address people behaving badly during family celebrations?

The answer, of course, is “yes” and as you may have guessed, it comes from the word of God. Look at the first verse of Proverbs, Chapter 17:

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. Proverbs 17:1

God’s word is striking here as it speaks to our hearts about those times when groups get together, in this particular instance, to feast together. Note where the word here is centered on peace and quiet within a gathering thus it is a call for family harmony when we come together.

The focus on this scripture isn’t food. It’s about the atmosphere that the food is served in. It doesn’t matter if there is an elaborate spread with more food available for consumption than the mouths there to be fed. If there is strife, the food makes no difference. The meal is ruined because instead of focusing on the bounty of the Lord’s blessing and provision, everyone is centered on the discord prevailing within the meal proximity. The feast is tainted by the sinful refusal for people to just settle their differences and move on with a renewed commitment to love one another.

Peace and quiet, reconciliation and forgiveness, love and compassion others, that is what counts the most and it makes no difference if people just have pieces of dry old crust to eat. As long as there is love and solace and concord in the room, all will be fine.

So what is it going to be at your next family gathering? Quarrels and bickering or affection and devotion?

Perhaps you could share this verse with your loved ones before your next reunion and let them read for themselves what God has to say about it. My prayer is that they would feel His call to family harmony so that your next special get together will be the best ever, highlighted by tranquility, loving fellowship, and the genuine, sincere love and caring that everyone had for one another.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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