In the fall of 2008, my husband, myself, and our two young children (3 years and 8 months at the time) moved into a rental home with a good friend of ours. For awhile, our friend had been asking us to move in so that he could continue to rent the home, as he was loosing a roommate. I debated for awhile. It had been some time since we'd shared a home and not at all since we'd had kids. Still in the end, we made the move.
At the time I remember it occurring to me, that the extra space also meant extra responsibilities. Now I'm not talking about just the responsibilities of bills, cleaning, and general space management. But also the responsibility of using what we had for God's glory.
As I've been blessed to be a stay-at-home mom since Noah was born, I've grown considerably in budgeting, meal planning, and the likes. But this was different. I was suddenly confronted with the reality of using my home to be a blessing. This extra space... this more homelike environment... this meant being more willing to open my doors and bless my community.
The weight of this calling was not lost on me. And it was probably also one of the reasons why I debated for so long on this move. Could I really being willing to open my doors and bless others? What would that look like? It's one thing to invite a friend over for dinner once in awhile, but it's quite another to say, "Here Lord. This is your house. Use it for your glory."
In the end, we did end up moving in with our friend and the lessons I learned in that time have been invaluable. I strongly believe that it was our willingness to give that house to the Lord that led us down the road of being able to buy our own home.
With the holiday season upon us, many of us are opening our doors to family and friends. And while we do so willing, our own demand for perfection can often get in the way of truly being a blessing. As the weeks and months go on, I'd like to share with you some of my personal journey and the things I've learned about practicing hospitality and creating home from a heart perspective, as well as some practical tips. I hope that you will hear my heart through all of this as we're all growing and learning, myself included.
Are you willing to open the doors of hospitality with me? What does hospitality look like to you?
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3 comments:
Hospitality to me looks like a "No Expectations" home. Not that I don't have expectations for myself, but when people come to our house, I don't want them to feel the pressure of any social demands. They can come, rest, play, do whatever they need. A place where people can come to just be.
I think hospitality is more than having a perfect home or everything organized. It is an opening of the heart, that happens to take place in a home.
Great post. I'm still very much in process with respect to hospitality. I still have "issues" with worries over what my house looks like or whether or not I'm organized in the kitchen. That sort of thing. But I know what it feels like to be hosted by someone with a gift for hospitality, and it feels so good. I would love to do a better job in this department.
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