On Hospitality

Hospitality is a characteristic that is easy to recognize in others and when I see it I admire it. Several years ago, I spent in the Middle East where hospitality is an art form. There is a grace and ceremony to hosting guests in your home that I have never seen duplicated anywhere else. I also have friends who undoubtedly have the gift of hospitality and going to their home is like being wrapped in a cozy blanket; you feel like you belong immediately; you feel cared for by their loving attention and listening ears; there is no awkward feeling that you might be overstaying your welcome. I've always wished I was good at hospitality but was secretly insecure. 

Things that ran through my mind when people were coming over to my house:

-what if my house isn't clean enough

-what if the food I'm making doesn't turn out to be good

-what if they are bored

-what if they realize I'm not very interesting/funny/nice and don't ever want to come over again

A few months ago though I read a book: The Simplest Way to Change the World. It was an eye-opener for me. It started with Romans 15:7 which says, "Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." When I think about the way Christ welcomed me, it has nothing to do with any of the things I worry about. His welcome was complete. He invited me wholeheartedly into communion with him. He was honest with me and didn't try to gloss over or hide any of the tough parts of what it would be like to live life in him. That totally changed my perspective on hospitality. In biblical hospitality there is no room for worries and insecurity.

For me the next challenge posed by this book was the greatest, it questioned how we think of our homes. I realized that I bought into the idea that my home was a retreat, a place to get away from the rest of life and just relax. That is what our culture taught me and that is what I believed. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but working as a pediatric nurse requires a lot of socializing with people that wears out an introvert like me. Add to that time spent at church (since my husband is the pastor I tend to be there a lot), and the idea of my home as a retreat sounded awesome. Unfortunately the authors of this book (and the Holy Spirit) burst my bubble by pointing out that my home has potential to be a conduit for the gospel and I have a responsibility to open it up to others and use hospitality to open doors for gospel conversations.

There is so much great practical application in this book, I wish I could share it all. I'll just share the points that were highlights for me. Here we go! Practicing hospitality on a regular basis makes it easier. You don't have to go crazy, just practice hospitality in a way that fits naturally with the rhythms of your life. Use the times that people are in your home as times to point them toward Jesus. And finally, think outside the box. Hospitality can include more than just having people over for dinner, it could mean fostering children in your home, investing in the lives of international people who are new to your culture, or just letting people come over and hang out while you fold your laundry and straighten up your home.

I say all of this because I'm trying to learn. Little by little, I'm working on introducing hospitality into the rhythms of our life and it is fun. Sometimes it involves making a bundt cake and hosting brunch for the ladies from church and sometimes it involves preparing our home to receive children who need a safe place to stay, but no matter what, I know it is good. God's grace has given us this home and I pray that we will use it for his glory.