Hospitality

To be honest, hospitality is probably one of the commands God gives to Christians that I find most difficult. Once upon a time in knowing that someone was coming over, I would be so nervous I would almost be at the point of throwing up - Would I be entertaining enough? Would the house look clean enough? (I have perfectionist tendencies - thus even at it's cleanest my house still looks imperfect to me - I see every little thing that's wrong), Would they feel comfortable enough? - Would the food turn out perfectly? you get the point - I'd be quivering to the bottom of my boots.

So how was I to obey the Lord & be hospitable while feeling so overwhelmed every time I invited someone to visit? I will admit that practice helps - the more you extend hospitality, the easier it is. Over the last couple of years I have had more practise & it has gotten much easier (out here we often have visitors for days at a time- sometimes weeks - it's impossible to put on a fake front with kids for more than a couple of hours, thus sharing the "real " us is inevitable). One thing that really helped me recently in my quest to be more hospitable was attending a ladies conference - at it I was blessed enough to attend the hospitality elective by a lady called Ella Meyer. Since I'm suspicious that I'm not the only one who feels like this (actually she described my feelings exactly, so I know I'm not too unusual;)), I thought I'd share some of her points as encouragement to those who, like me, struggle in this area.

* Hospitality isn't about entertaining, rather it is a freeing & a heart response. It may not be comfortable, but it is about opening your heart to bear anothers burdens. It is about relationships - caring & serving others within & outside the church family.

 * Hospitality isn't about a beautiful home, rather it is about sharing our blessings from our Master. (What's mine is yours) - this I found particularly freeing - you see I live in an old house that although well built is still very much in late 70's styling - my least favourite era of decorating. I've always felt so embarrassed over this house & truthfully longed to have a lovely home like I used to have. I guess just knowing that this is what God has blessed me with at the moment helped - this last time of sharing hospitality ( we had 2 bible college students stay last week) was the first I haven't apologised for the decorating.

* Hospitality is about meeting the physical needs of someone & is expected of all the church family - with no grumbling & complaining - it includes strangers. James 2:15-16.

* Hospitality is a great opportunity to model & serve the Lord. It is about sharing your home/food/clothes/time with others.

* Hospitality is about growing relationships & caring for others - it's not about me & my concerns. The measure of a good night is whether relationships were enhanced or established. People don't remember the food, but they remember how they felt.

I know just realising that the person isn't after an extravagant experience - they aren't after perfection & it is more important to build relationships rather than have the time go perfectly really helped me to relax. I know from experience that when I've gone to someones house & everything hasn't been perfect, I haven't cared in the least - however had the person spent the evening hiding in the kitchen ( oh yeah - I've done that before), then I'd be disappointed about missing out on spending time with them.

So next time you're coming by, be sure you'd be welcomed here at Sunnyside anytime! - sure the house may not be perfect, the family may not be perfect & the food may not be perfect (although usually delicious)but I'd love to sit down & chat & build our relationship!

With Blessings,