Hospitality. Such a beautiful word which conjures up different images for each one of us. An open home, smiling faces, being waited upon or special moments around a dinner table. Yet is if the feeling of being well hosted that lingers on in us. The feeling of being made to feel special, accepted, embraced and allowed into the world of another.
I believe God designed us for hospitality. To open our lives up to others and learn to enlarge our capacity to embrace more friendships. My world spins around relationships, Creating them, sustaining them, strengthening them, holding onto them, learning from them. Believing in them and teaching about them. If life is anything…it is the continual cycle of investing into relationships and realizing that your destiny is always tied up with those around you.
Hospitality literally means ‘the practice of entertaining guests AND strangers graciously’ Translated from the Greek it reads the ‘love of strangers’. Paul reminds us in Romans that when God’s people are in need we need to be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. We are called to have a deep love for one another that creates in us a passion to open up our homes and to let people into our world at some level.
Being a person who practices hospitality is beautiful as it directly reflects who God is. It speaks that you have time for someone, you will make an effort to make them feel important and you will embrace them just as they are. Great hospitality is self- sacrificing because it calls on us to address the inner needs of another willingly and reach out to get involved.
Tips in demonstrating hospitality:
- Carry an atmosphere around you that is warm, inclusive, embracing and interested in others.
- Invite people into your home. Let them see how you live your life.
- Work at making your home a beautiful, relaxing environment as much as you can. Light up your home with flowers and candles girls!
- Throw dinner parties and connect people together. Chilling out over great food and a glass of wine is a winner!
- Be a gift giver. Think about who and what to bless someone with.
- Invite people out to have coffee with you and bring others along.
- Reach out and include people in your conversations, groups etc.
- Hospitality is one of the best things you can do with your family. My boys have learnt some of the most important people skills in life as we entertain in our home.