Hospitality isn't just opening your home.....it's opening your heart.
Ever since God gifted us with an amazingly huge home recently, we have been inviting different families, usually two at a time, over for Sunday lunch after church. Our goal is to invite just about everyone we know from church over at least once in the course of the next year.
Is it hard work? Yes!
Is it tiring? Sometimes, especially during this season of my life!
Is it worth the effort? Absolutely!
Though we are anxious to show our friends what we've done with the place, in part because the changes are so dramatic, and in part because many of them helped us clean this house, it's not about US, how clean our home is, how good the food is, how many things we have. It's about blessing others with the blessings we've been given and letting them into our lives that we may encourage them.
I learned a long time ago that it doesn't really matter how clean your home is, or what kind of food you fix if you are kind and interested in others. One poor missionary family with 5 kids used to invite us over all the time for meals. Sometimes the fare was antelope sausage or deer steaks and sometimes just cheese quesadillas or basic sandwiches. But those meals were wonderful because of the conversation and fun of being included in the family. They were the most hospitable people, even if they didn't have much to share.
As I "make our new home a haven" I want our home to be a place where friends can laugh and talk, hang out for hours, and feel loved and welcome. I want my children to learn hospitality and help me with preparations for guests. Usually the meals I make are simple and without a fuss. I'm also planning to make many of our future gatherings potlucks so the workload is shared. It's nice having a clean home on Sunday and not just be "letting things go" as we can be apt to do on the weekends if no one is coming over. It's fun to see the kids get super excited about the company that's coming each week. It's great to get to know folks better in an informal setting as it can be difficult to visit after church while chasing little ones around.
In what ways are you growing in the area of hospitality?
3 comments:
just found your blog and love it. I really like the idea of having folks over for Sunday dinner. I'm gonna bring this one up with the hubby. It would be a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing!
We're having some new friends over this weekend. They used to live in Turkey for a year, and we are looking forward to getting to know them and finding out all about that.
Even though I know that hospitality is "not about impressing, it's about blessing" (from the Heavenly Hospitality book you lent me), I have to mentally conquer the silly thoughts like, "What if they think our house is messy? What if our kids are cranky?"
If I can just relax and enjoy it, and think about blessing them rather than thinking about myself, it will be a wonderful visit. :)
Jason and I like to have people over after church, but I am not a naturally organized person so it is difficult for me to have a meal ready for after church. Could you share ideas on what you make that can easily be put on the table after church? What kind of preparation do you do before hand to make things go smoothly?
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