I try to keep a little part of my mind lit up to with this thought of hospitality. Sometime soon, I will be having someone over. That is the way I want to live life. This post tells of various ways I keep the hospitality light on.

Practice It

We learn by doing.

Wouldn’t it be nice if hospitality could be nailed down to a few particulars and checked off on a list? Wouldn’t it be nice if all the ones in your home agreed on why, how and when to be hospitable? But hospitality cannot be forced into a neat package. There is no set rule about how often. It fit into our lives in different ways in each season. It is important these days; like it’s always been.

We might think it was easier for our grandmothers or great-grandparents. They had more time, or were better cooks, or fill-in-the-blank.We aren’t going back to their times. We can have company, regularly and imperfectly, like, I suppose, they did.

People learn by making mistakes. We learn by getting it right, sometimes accidentally. Don’t let mistakes discourage you. God blesses hospitality if you pull it off perfectly or not. Leave the results to Him. The direction we are going is more important than the little details along the way.

There’s a lot of give and take to pull this off. Sometimes we go with my inspiration and other times follow my husband’s. As we are willing to talk about it, make a decision and move on, God brings more understanding to us in His time. I actually may never have it figured out, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t practice. It is a great place to be— ready to go or stay. It’s uncomfortable. But it is the best way I have found so far.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me… Truly I tell you… you did for me.” —Matthew 25:34-36, 40

Read or Write About It

If reading inspires you to action, then read about hospitality. We can find encouraging words in the Bible, in books and in blogs. For some book recommendations check this old post: The Inviting Life.

I don’t endorse all these authors say. Please keep your Christian filter on.

Years ago, at the encouragement of one of these authors, I made an attempt to write a home mission statement. Today it goes like this: “This home is a place of welcome. Here we can share food and shelter while God inspires and encourages us all. We leave refreshed to bring our best to the world.”

The exact wording changes from time to time when I review my mission statement. Yet the idea stays mostly the same. To write your own, answer these questions: What is the purpose of your home? What would you like to offer to guests and the ones who live with you? How is God nudging you to use your home for His service?

You can choose somebody else’s line to start with, if that’s easier. I was reading a middle grade book once, and the mother told the daughter, “We love to serve. We serve to love.” And thought that would make a great mission statement. Or you can choose one to three aspirational words. Maybe you like the sound of ‘welcome’ or ‘connection’, or ‘nourish’. Adopt a word as your guiding star. Put the words where you will see them regularly.

Dedicate a notebook to hospitality. Write definitions, thoughts, verses, lists,a manifesto, recipes- whatever inspires you to stay in practice. Let the notebook develop over years of time. With all these lovely thoughts in one place, you can pick up the book and get inspired anytime.

And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. —Colossians 3:23-24

Forget About It

When the door closes behind the last guest leaving, take a moment to reflect and forget.

Reflection offers us a step back to see what happened, and a way to go forward with more knowledge and skill. If the evening went well, forget about it sooner. Even if it seems disastrous in that moment, (highly unlikely!) it was still another successful practice session. What am I learning? Take some notes, mental or with pen and paper.

I have found having company teaches me things about myself. It can be a little uncomfortable facing myself like this. I find weaknesses and/or strengths I never suspected I had. Or I surprise myself be carrying on a conversation most of the evening without stress. It’s good information to help me next time.

Reflection can be done as you put away the chairs, pick up toys or clean counters. It can be a prayer about something specific or a general blessing on the time together. Don’t over-analyze. There’s no redoing it so it’s pointless to beat yourself up or try to figure out what he meant when he said that.

It’s time to forget. Success or failure are the same thing when you are simply following the King’s command. Treat them the same by forgetting.

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And there’s some ways to keep your hospitality candle burning: practice often, reflect by thinking, reading and writing, and then forget successes and failures by looking to the future for more opportunities to have company.

–Liz