Skip to main content

Heartfelt Hospitality

Unless you are a Martha Stewart type, the subject of hospitality may be one that causes a bit of an internal struggle.   When we prepare our homes for visitors and find ourselves stressing out over the details, we are "entertaining" which is vastly different from 'hospitality'. Here is the difference:

Entertain: To hold the attention of with something amusing or diverting.

Hospitality: Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.

"Entertaining can be stressful; it feels like everything has to be perfect before your guests arrive—and the perfection must continue throughout the visit with the food, décor, conversation, and games. Hospitality is not about perfection or appearances... In fact, hospitality says I’m not perfect and neither is my home, but please come over anyway and fellowship. Hospitality has an open door / open life policy; whereas, entertaining says wait until I have everything perfect then come over. Entertaining is exhausting, and when hospitality is confused with entertaining it can lead to an avoidance of hospitality all together."

It has taken my several years to move beyond entertaining to opening our home with a spirit of hospitality. When the focus is on the guest and blessing them, it removes the stress of holding up a sometimes impossible standard.  It gives from the heart, where true treasures can be shared.

Instead of perfection, focus on graciousness. People won’t remember your menu in six months. They won’t remember what color scheme your table was, what place-card holders you used, or what you wore. They will never forget how you made them feel. They’ll remember the feel of your home. 

A home that loves, that's the feel I want for all who enter.

Over the Christmas season, we hosted our church deacon dinner. As I prepared to open our home and sought for a hospitable heart, the reminder of grace came as I recalled who I was and from where the Lord has brought me.  A teenage girl making poor choices, heading straight into a life without hope who grasped the offer of salvation as a young engaged woman.  Our marriage and home has been built from God's grace and through the years, we have grown and matured in the Lord.  He has made my life a life of transformation.  Grace was poured out on me and is alive and well to be poured out to others, especially in our home!








Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing your commment. It is a joy and blessing to hear from you and your words are appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We
17 comments
Read more

Top 10 Workout DVDs

Prevention Magazine is a leader in health and fitness news and products. They recently came up with the top 10 list of workout DVDs. They have examined the many fitness DVDs out there and narrowed down a list of the best ones. There is a DVD for every fitness level. If you are looking to incorporate some exercise into your day in the convenience of your own home, take a look at this list. Here is an additional money saving tip:  If you see a DVD that you are interested in, check out Amazon or Ebay before ordering.  Many times they have pre-owned DVDs at a fraction of the cost of a new one.
1 comment
Read more

Word Filled Wednesday – Act Justly

He has shown you, O man, what is good;       And what does the LORD require of you                But to do justly, To love mercy,       And to walk humbly with your God?    Micah 6:8 Sometimes we struggle so hard with the question “What does God want us to do and be?”  This verse is a simple yet powerful reminder of some simple things that God requires of us.  Act and do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God.  There are numerous opportunities each day to do justly, to do the right thing or to make the right choice.  We love mercy when we show kindness or mercy oftentimes to those who do not deserve it.  Walking humbly before God is acknowledging He alone is God.  He is the I AM – no one else is.  When we give Him the glory He is worthy of, it will humble our heart before Him.  Obeying God doesn’t have to be unattainable or impossible, but can be a joyful, beautiful journey as we go by step and follow Him.    
13 comments
Read more