Hospitality From The Heart
Hospitality is not just how you welcome somebody once they make it past your front door.
Today I spent one of the most relaxing few hours of my summer with a mom friend and her triplet seven year old boys and rambunctious labradoodle. I wondered, as I felt the tension ease between my shoulder blades, what was it that made this so.
I had a friend in high school whose home was a mish mash of garage sale finds; rugs to cover worn carpet, blankets to cover a taddy sofa, books upon piles of books on every available surface. Still another friend who cooks the most tantalizing meals while another friend is the master decorater.
Each of these homes, are so welcoming and loving. Yet, it isn't the food, it isn't the decorations.
It must be the people.
Which is why I believe hospitality is something you can take on the road with you.
Welcoming another into anything is hospitality. Its like when you hear the phrase, "An inhospitable environment." So if someone joins my church, my neighborhood, my community, my line at the grocery store, how I proceed to give them a welcoming environment is hospitality.
I keep fresh in my mind the memory of a friend of my youth whose love language was gifts which for me is not my strongest love language. I felt she was trying to buy my friendship and shunned her overtures of affirmation and hurting her in the process. That friendship deteriorated before I learned that everyone has there own way of showing and receiving love. My dad's love language is cooking. Let that man cook you an omelet and you will have a friend for life.
Today I took a fresh loaf of bread to my friend and her boys and came away with a tomato plant, tomatoes, peppers and basil. Not to mention the gift of watching my daughter romp and laugh with the boys. Totally captivating.
One thing I work on (by work on I mean I need to purposefully remember it or I won't do it) is to be sincere when I ask someone how they are doing and wait for an answer. Its so easy to encourage others to keep on their masks of happy and clean lives lest they burden you with their problems. Life I'm learning is messy and it is easy to build walls.
Basically I am captivated by the art of hospitality which is the art of having a welcoming spirit; helping others feel secure, safe and affirmed. The foundation of offering a safe secure and affirming environment is to already be personally secure, safe and affirmed. I find these things in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I am secure in his love for me in that He died for me on the cross that I would be able to spend eternity with him in His home in Heaven. He affirms me every day as I seek Him out in a real relationship and I am safe in knowing that no one and no thing will separate me from His love for all eternity. After all I cannot offer what I do not have. So when I offer anything good it comes directly from the well spring of life in me that is His Holy Spirit.
I would love to see a show on hospitality put down the flower arrangements and co-ordinated kitchen towels just for a moment and teach us about real true, from the heart hospitality.
Comments
This is RICH!! A rich message of love, encouragement and reminders!
When I worked in corporate america for many years it was so easy to fall into everyone just passing each other by saying, "how are you?" but never waiting for an answer. I saw the same thing in the church community and I used to do it myself. Ask but not truly wait for an answer; until one day years ago the Lord stopped me in my tracks as I said, "How are you doing?" and started to breeze by someone and I backed up and asked again. She told me she had just buried a loved one 4 days prior and she bust into tears and I held her and prayed for her.
I learned a valuable lesson after that to take the time to CARE and slow down.
What you said about hospitality was such a blessing too!
Hugs!