“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” ~Hebrew 13:2 {photo courtesy the everyday home}
When I began to ponder the women in my life who have been godly examples of hospitality to me…..two special women came to mind. One of these ladies has an open door policy and shows forth warm hospitality by preparing gourmet meals on the table from scratch. She sincerely loves blessing others with a candle lit ambiance and a fresh bouquet of flowers on the table from her garden. Yes…..that’s right…she is also a gardener with a wonderful green thumb.
The other lady that comes to mind is a sweet, kind, loving woman who warmingly welcomes all sorts of folks into her home. This dear lady often serves yummy store bought frozen lasagna that she happily cooks in her oven and will even at times serve it on paper plates. As you can see one of these women loves to cook and the other doesn’t and yet they both are choosing to be hospitable, from the heart, in their own way.
Hospitality doesn’t mean perfect and it doesn’t mean expensive. It’s not about entertaining and it’s not about impressing….. rather it simply is a way of saying “come sit, come share, I care about you and I want to know more……” It’s showing the love of Christ to a lost world…..extending grace to the afflicted and ministering to others by listening to them and praying for them.
Sometimes hospitality means a cold glass of water on a hot day or a simple bowl of popcorn served by a college student who can’t afford much. It could also mean someone like my friend serving a frozen lasagna because cooking is not their cup of tea, Yet, on the other hand it could also be a gourmet meal for six prepared by someone who loves to cook.
The bottom line is that if the Lord is involved it will produce an atmosphere of love and fruitful service to a world in need of God’s grace and mercy. I think my favorite thing about hospitality is….it shifts our focus from ourselves to others……in other words, it takes the focus off of ME and places it on others…..while God receives all the glory!!
