Opening Your Home to Reflect Jesus
Does the thought of having people over to your house make you feel anxiety and panic?
If someone called you up and said they were stopping by would you go into the flight of the bumble bee trying to clean things up….just hoping no one opens a closet or looks too close at anything?
It’s a natural reaction for anyone who cares about what people think of them…and that’s not a bad thing! There’s nothing wrong with wanting to put your best foot forward or to honor others with your best.
The Problem comes when our anxiety and panic are because we have boughten into the lie and the
Myth of “Perfect” Hospitality
It's true that we feel more pressure to have instagram perfect homes and social events than ever before!
Can I just encourage you and tell you that insta-perfect doesn’t exist! NO ONE is actually living like that…they all have messes, they all have dirty dishes, they all have cobwebs in the corners!
The only difference is if we’re willing to admit it to one another. (spoiler…we really should!)
What if biblical hospitality is less about impressing and more about blessing?
The Bible speaks to us about hospitality...
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
And this one that speaks about showing hospitality to people we don't know well yet...
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
(Please use wisdom in inviting complete strangers into your house…this verse does not mean you should be unsafe!)
Hospitality is not a suggestion but a reflection of Jesus’ love.
And so if it’s something we’re told to do…it’s important for us to understand what it is…and what it’s not!
Hospitality ≠ Entertaining
Entertaining is what most of us think of when we’re having company over. Entertaining is an “Event.” It usually focuses on a special occasion or occurrence. Birthday parties, Superbowl games, holiday gatherings. It doesn’t have to be fancy…but it’s something out of the normal every day living that is the focus of the event.
These are special times, and we want to show that they’re special by the time and effort we put into preparing for them. Some people love hosting these…others feel a ton of pressure and anxiety over it…both are reasonable reactions.
The good news for those who are stressed by the thought of entertaining is that it’s not the same as hospitality!
Then what is Hospitality?
Hospitality is simply an opportunity to show love and care.
Unlike entertaining where we’re putting on more of a show…Hospitality is just opening our home…just as it is…just as we are…just everyday life.
It’s opening the door and letting people come in to an authentic home- filled with love and the light of Jesus shining…where we are real, and we allow them to be real too.
People are desperate for real authentic love & Life!
Hospitality is welcoming people to come live life with us. What it looks like is often something like…
Coffee at the kitchen table…
Soup and grilled cheese for lunch…
Kids toys all over and the dog flopping around…
Yoga pants and tshirts…
and messy buns with no makeup…
Jesus isn’t measuring dust bunnies…and neither is anyone else! Matter of fact, they’ll be relieved that you have them too I’d bet! 😀
So how do we show Hospitality?
Simple meals & Open hearts
The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture.
There is something so simple and so profound in just sitting down and sharing a meal with someone. It’s shown to improve family relations…kids who have dinner with their parents are happier and have fewer behavior issues. But it also deepens friendships and gives an opportunity to “share life” together in a way nothing else seems to.
And let’s just be honest… when we don’t have to cook it, we don’t have to plan it, we don’t have to think about it…and we can just sit and enjoy it…is that not always the best meal? It doesn’t matter what it is.
Simple meals and open hearts are how we encourage and grow the Kingdom…it’s one person, one meal at a time.
Practical Hospitality Ideas:
- Keep a freezer meal on hand.
- Coffee or tea with muffins.
- Chips & Salsa (who doesn’t love chips and salsa?? I’ll share an amazing salsa recipe soon!)
- Ask your guest to join you for a meal and then to help you with something so that you have a task to do together instead of just sitting with the awkwardness of getting to know one another.
- Host a “soup night” with one pot + bread.
- Invite another mom for coffee + playtime for the kids.
- Hospitality extends beyond the home → text encouragement, porch drop-offs, welcoming neighbors.
