Marriage Encounter is about relationship:  Relationship with our spouse;  Relationship with God;  Relationship with our community.   Relationship is built on a foundation of trust.  But what starts a relationship?  When do we begin to trust?  What makes a relationship grow?

When we recognize traits in another person that attracts us to them, we ignite the desire for relationship.   Whether a relationship develops or not requires action on our part.  We need to initiate further interaction with the other person to investigate our first impressions and to inquire further into their personality and values.  As we gain knowledge and understanding of the other person, we are able to assess the level of trust we can place in that individual.  Once the trust is established, we are inclined to enter into a deeper relationship.

The most common way of beginning a relationship is to sit down to eat with the other person.  When you met your spouse, one of your first dates would probably have involved eating together.  "Let's get together for a coffee."  "Would you like to go out for lunch (or dinner)?"  As you get to know the other person over a meal, the trust begins to grow.  Even Jesus recognized the significance of food in building relationships.  There are many stories in the Bible that recount Jesus sitting down to eat or providing food for people and, of course, Holy Communion is the most significant meal we share.

A community, like a marriage, is built on relationship   --  built on trust.  We trust that we share the same values and vision with the other people in that community.   Within a community, sitting down to share a meal is equally as important as with individual relationships.  It allows us to build those individual relationships that bind a community together.  A meal provides a social atmosphere that allows us to reaffirm our original attractions and judgements of the community.  This social interaction makes us feel like a valued member of the community where people welcome and accept us.

Food is more than just sustenance for the body.  Food celebrates life and love and relationships.  Celebrate with someone today!

10/10 Questions:

1)  When was the last time your community sat down socially to eat a meal together?  At that meal, did you start building a new relationship with someone?  How do I feel about my answer?

2)  When was the last time you, personally, invited a couple from your community to eat with you, either at home or at a restaurant?     How do I feel about my answer?