Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it. (Proverbs 15:17)

For most of us, meal planning takes up a significant portion of each day, week, or month. It is necessary and good. We need to eat. Those we love need to eat. Feeding the ones we love is a great way to love them. But sometimes that motivation gets lost in the shuffle.

Priorities slip easily. We can be distracted by the details of the menu and care for the presentation or the new recipe more than those eating it. We might be caught up in the rush of grocery shopping and last-minute prep for the meal. Now we’re feeling under the gun and focused on the finish line rather than the people present. We had a perfect monthly plan, but schedules changed one too many times, and now we are frustrated.

Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. (Proverbs 17:1)

When it comes down to it, family members and guests would rather have peanut butter sandwiches in a happy home than Thanksgiving dinner spread in the midst of arguments. Think about it.

The feast is the fellowship. Love includes the food served, but it also includes our attitudes and conversation and willingness to serve our loved ones over food. So as we plan the meals today, remember why and for whom. We will all enjoy those meals!