When my husband and I were first married and our house was still undergoing renovations, I stressed out to the MAX trying to get everything accomplished before our awaited company would arrive. Even if it was my parents that were coming over; the ones who knew me better than anyone else.
I wanted everything to be perfect for them.
I wanted them to be proud of us.
I wanted the house repainted, the hardwood floors refinished, new curtains hung, and the lawn mowed ALL IN A WEEK'S TIME. It wasn't possible and I was setting myself up for failure. I was expecting more out of my husband than was necessary; which in turn was putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on him.
Over the years I've learned that the house may never be completely finished. It it's not one thing it's another! Nevertheless, this is our home. The place where are can hide from the storm. The place where we lay our heads to rest each night, and the place that greets us each morning when we arise.
Our house has become a home as we have filled it with belongings that show our personality. We've filled the home with love, laughter, tears, and memories (with many more in the making!).
Now that I've realized our home may never be featured in a Better Homes and Garden issue, or a Southern Living Magazine it's easier for me to show hospitality to others by inviting them into our home where we can love them, laugh with them, feed them a good meal, and help spread the love of Christ by honoring Him in all we do.
"Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:1-2
Did you know that showing hospitality isn't just a woman's job? In fact, the Bible even instructs men, as leaders in the church, to be hospitable.
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach." I Timothy 3:2
With that being said, I'll be showing hospitality to the ladies in our church this Saturday by inviting them over for our first Christmas Party/Cookie Swap. (At the same time, my husband is taking the men to a nearby hunting club for a cookout.)
Speaking of Cookie Swap, have you joined Esther in her virtual Cookie Swap? I haven't linked up yet, but I hope to get some ideas to go with the Snicker Doodles I'm anticipating making from Cottage Mama's Holiday Mixes and Gifts in a Jar ebook. If you haven't purchased your copy yet, you can by clicking here. If you need any kind of Christmas recipes, traditions to start, giveaways to enter, or anything else Christmas related, you should hop on over to Hidden Treasures and take a look at all they've got going on this week.
Now I need to get busy planning my menu. I can't decide between soup (Taco Soup and Potato Soup) or appetizers. Maybe I'll do soup and appetizers! What do you think? Any suggestions? Feel free to plan the whole menu for me as I'm very behind right now!
Join the following ladies as they also share their hearts with you in the 31 Days of Generosity theme.
Growing Home
Little Natural Cottage
Becoming Lydia
An Original Belle
Love Being a Mom
If you've got a post concerning Generosity, (gift idea, recipes, giveaways, etc.) we'd love to have you link up with us. This is a blog hop and your link up should appear on all six blogs.
6 comments:
hospitality, yes we are all call to be hospitable, love this!
I often have to remind myself that being hospitable is not about entertaining, not about having the perfect food to serve, perfect looking house, being the perfect hosted that is the light of the party!!!!
Being hospitable is being able to foresee your guest(s) needs and be willing to serve them. A open hear, a warm meal, a place to lodge given with a heart that wants to serve a need is showing real hospitality :-)
Mrs. Stam, you are so right! Thank you for the reminder. :)
i am new to your blog and just wanted to say hi and let you know I am enjoying it
Hospitality has always been in my heart, but like you, I spent a long season of living in unfinished homes. I also was very uncomfortable inviting others over, but was finally able to get past it. Our home is now pretty much finished and we continue to try to open our home fairly often. There always seems to be road blocks to overcome, whether time, finances, living conditions, etc. The bottom line is that we are called to be hospitable so we just need to do it - cheerfully! Thanks for a great post.
Hi Heather. I love what you've written here. Like you, I also want that our home is always looking like it's ready to be photographed for a home magazine, but with real kids giving their personal "arrangements and decorations" with their own endearing selves and mess - I will always prefer it this way.
Like you, my utmost desire is to magnify the Lord whenever friends or loved ones come to visit - that He dwells in our hearts and home.
I struggle with this too, although not as much as I used to. One day, the Lord just dropped the thought into my heart: "Hospitality is about BLESSING others, not IMPRESSING others."
It is freeing when we finally take our eyes off ourselves.
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