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

When a married couple has a meal together, husband and wife often need to share more than a piece of bread. They may have big issues, major decisions or upsetting developments to talk through. Each may be wrestling with work challenges, children’s activities, home repairs, finances or other emotional, physical or psychological demands.

But there’s a huge difference between sharing peace of mind and giving a piece of one’s mind.

As this proverb says, it is sweet for a couple to find peace and quiet together, even if there is only a dry crust of bread to share. Somehow a scanty meal can be incredibly satisfying when a husband and wife also enjoy a great conversation – or maybe even blessed peace and quiet together. However, if a spirit of sharing and togetherness is missing when breaking bread at the table, then spiritual and emotional indigestion occur. Depending on one’s attitude, a lavish and beautifully prepared meal can be filled with strife.

Everyone at some time faces stress at work and at home. Sometimes we make mistakes and bring problems on ourselves, and sometimes things happen to us that push us past our limits. A spouse can be a handy target for venting frustration, especially at the end of a long day. The same thing must happen long term as we pray for peace, serenity, and contentment in marriage.

How can a married couple find genuine peace together when eating a meal? Some couples give each other space after coming home from work at the end of the day. If we are upset or tense about something that happened we should spend some time reconnecting for a short time before sharing with each other. We do not serve anger as the first course of our meal together.

Meeting and greeting each other in love before getting into issues feeds the soul as well as the body. After all, issues will always be there. We have to bring the right spirit and the right frame of mind into the conversation so that we look forward to breaking bread together at the table, no matter how meager the meal.

LET’S TALK

1. What are some things we can do to unwind before eating a meal together?
2. What happens when we don’t take time to decompress before having dinner?
3. What is peace and quiet to each of us? What steps can we take to move from a tension-filled meal to a peaceful dinner that feeds our bodies and our relationship?

Let the Prince of Peace be like host at your dinner table at all times.