One purpose of hospitality is refreshment

My friend Lorna* emailed me her comment on hospitality. She doesn’t have a blog and I don’t know how (yet) to let people without blogs leave a message. Any ideas or help from y’all?

Susan,

I enjoyed reading your blog entry about hospitality. I also realized something.

Going to someone’s home for a visit or meal can be refreshing! I stayed home from E & R’s house last Friday night because I was tired. I also had the opportunity to go to J & M’s house on the same day.

What if the Lord was providing a real opportunity for me to be refreshed?! I just never thought that way before.

Thanks!
Have a good day.
Love, Lorna

* Lorna gave me permission to use her name. Otherwise I will just use the person’s first initial.

My cooking means someone died?

Me on the phone: “Hi Sweetie, I’m cooking up some tuna noodle casserole. I had forgotten how yummy that is especially with fresh mushrooms. I already made . . .”

Daughter talks over me: “Did someone die?!”

Me: (I continue with my monologue) “. . . lemon poppy seed muffins. I just need to slice the” (I stop mid-sentence.) “Did you just ask me if someone died?”

Daughter: “Yeeh-es! You only cook if someone dies or has a baby.*

Sad commentary of how my life is now. I used to be a stay-at-home wife and homeschool mom who liked to cook one time a month meals. We rarely ate fast food and I liked entertaining.

Now I hardly cook (as noted by my daughter) and as of September, I will live alone** with Chip.*** I’ve been thinking a lot about hospitality this week and what happened to me.

Besides having out-of-whack priorities, entertaining in my home reminds me of what I used to have. And sometimes it still hurts to remember what I lost. What the whole family lost. So I stopped living that part of me.

Doodah said (at 10:32 a.m.) she is the one who feels spoiled when she extends hospitality. I remember that feeling. (At least when I wasn’t trying to be a Martha by excelling in ALL the homemaking arts hours before the arrival of our guests.)

I believe that God wants me to live abundantly in all areas of my life. Hospitality and what it brings up is one such area. “Lord, help me to find a way to say ‘yes’ to You.”

* I wasn’t cooking because someone died or had a baby.**** I was cooking a meal for my son. He is the one I decided to be hospitable towards this week. More on this in a future post.

** My son is moving to the Bay area in September. Well, most likely, probably, ok, maybe. With my son, I’ll know when it actually happens.

*** Chip is my 13 year old apricot, miniature toy poodle. His former people called him Peaches. Don’t tell me “names can never hurt me.” Chip still has some issues regarding his birth name.

**** Some lovely people (R & M) in our church did have a baby boy, G. Congratualtions! He is premature, but will be home soon.

Hospitality Field Trip Refreshes and Teaches

“To be hospitable means to be fond of guests. . .

Being hospitable, which the dictionary defines as
“given to generous and cordial reception of guests,”
is something Christians are commanded to do. . . “

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 4:9 (New International Version)

Sunday morning in my small group we read and prayed through I Peter 4. Verse 9 speaks about hospitality. Yesterday afternoon, God arranged a field trip to illustrate (to me) what hospitality looks like. I was invited (along with three others) to share Sunday lunch with E and R.

E & R’s cordial reception and fond treatment of us refreshed my spirit and the generous, lovely meal refreshed my body. I was feeling so happy that at one point I burst out, “I love being spoiled.”

I bet you do too.

Lord, help me to be on the look out to offer hospitality more often. Help me to spoil others!

I want to do this. I even think about it. Unfortunately, I let things interfere with the carrying out of my plans.

Things that hinder me:

• Too tired
• Messy home
• Too much to do
• Procrastination
• Didn’t think about it
• Fear
• Laziness
• Didn’t plan my schedule well

 

Thanks E & R for allowing me to have a field trip to your home and for your great example.

GOAL: This week I want to have someone in my home so that they’ll leave refreshed. Since I don’t work for my b-i-l on Friday, I’ll invite someone over for that afternoon.

Your Turn . . . 

• What hinders you?
• Most importantly, how have you overcome these?

Related Post . . . One purpose of hospitality is refreshment