A Heart for Hospitality

Everyone wants a heart for hospitality, I think. It just sounds friendly. It sounds like the thing ‘to do’. It’s the Christian Way. To be hospitable is to have a virtue that most people admire. I have found over the years that to ‘be hospitable’ and ‘to entertain’ are really two different activities. I think on the eve of Easter, it’s an appropriate time to share what I have learned about true hospitality because I believe everyone can develop a heart for it and it may lighten your load as you look ahead to a busy weekend with family.
First, hospitality is for everyone. It is not optional and it isn’t just for the ‘gifted’. Martha Stewart may discourage many of us who aren’t as crafty as her into thinking if we can’t have everything perfect, we can't be hospitable. If we are striving for ‘perfection’ we may have ‘entertaining’ on our minds. Heb 13:2 says “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it”. No one has an excuse to neglect hospitality.

Secondly, when I focus on having a welcoming spirit, my celebrations seem to come together by themselves. If I am straining to hear compliments from my guests on how great things look or taste, I may be trying too hard to ‘entertain’. If I truly enjoy my company, they can relax and be renewed no matter what transpires. What a great help that has been for me. I can adjust my attitude and extend a welcoming spirit much easier than putting on a 4 course meal. If popcorn and a board game is all that is required to be ‘hospitable’, I can handle that!

Finally, entertaining can often be ‘self-centered’…wanting to show others how good I am at impressing them. Creating an atmosphere for hospitality in my home means that I need to be ‘other-centered’! That is always refreshing to remind myself when I am tearing around the house to get it all to ‘look just right’. Instead, if I concentrate on asking questions of my guests, showing interest in them and extending a listening ear, I will have achieved the ’perfect setting’ for my gathering.

Easter isn’t about choosing the right center piece and or trying a new dessert recipe for Homemakers with Hope. It is about extending true hospitality…learning from Jesus who gave of Himself. Jesus’ whole ministry was based on hospitality and loving one another. Jesus Christ came just to be with us. He didn’t come to be entertained or impressed. He came just to be with us. I am going to remember to put on my welcoming spirit and receive others into my home to celebrate that God loves me just the way that I am. That is the Christian Way and that is why we are all encouraged to develop a Heart for Hospitality.