Hospitality is the dominant theme of my ministry in so many ways. Participating in it, as either host or guest, bears such a strong connection to Gospel work. Hospitality is the essence of what Green Tables are all about. So I often wonder: what keeps people from being more hospitable? What stops us from inviting people into our homes and into our lives?
The answer to that is likely complicated and different for each of us, but I often have the sense that people are worried about the “mess”. Busy lives, especially with kids, often create clutter and we can all feel self conscious about how our home will be perceived. (I get the sense more women tend to think about this type of thing but I think the principle goes beyond gender.)
I came across a great article today, written by a busy mom, who addresses this head on. What Jen Wilkin writes is worth reading in it’s entirety, but she summed up the difference between hospitality versus entertaining very well and sounds a clear call to greater hospitality in our lives:
Entertaining seeks to impress. Hospitality seeks to bless.
Orderly house or not, hospitality throws wide the doors. It offers itself, expecting nothing in return. It keeps no record of its service, counts no cost, craves no thanks. It is nothing less than the joyous, habitual offering of those who recall a gracious table set before them in the presence of their enemies, of those who look forward to a glorious table yet to come.
It is a means by which we imitate our infinitely hospitable God.
Mess or no mess, who can you extend hospitality to today?
You can read the whole article here: Choose Hospitality Over Entertaining