Hospitality
By Thomas Bailey Aldrich
When friends are at your hearthside met,
Sweet courtesy has done its most
If you have made each guest forget
That he himself is not the host.
Sweet courtesy has done its most
If you have made each guest forget
That he himself is not the host.
I am trying to work on being more hospitable. I enjoy having guests in my home but have done very little about it lately, apart from having some of the kids' friends over.
While we were renting I didn't often have people over because it was not my own home. Now that we have bought a house I keep thinking we should wait until we have a sofa for the sitting room, or a barbecue, or an outside table.
While we were renting I didn't often have people over because it was not my own home. Now that we have bought a house I keep thinking we should wait until we have a sofa for the sitting room, or a barbecue, or an outside table.
Sometimes hospitality just feels like too much hard work, especially after a long week at work. Yet I also think that if I am blessed with a roof over my head and food on my table then I should be willing to share - and generously. Guests rarely care if the house is messy or there's not enough furniture.
Certainly, I am better at inviting friends to my home than strangers. Yet not so long ago I was a stranger in this city and others welcomed me into their homes. How short is my memory!
How do you practice hospitality in your home?
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hebrews 13:2
4 comments:
Like you, inviting friends over feels like hard work after a long week. Especially when I end up doing ALL the work associated with having them!!!! But I've been thinking the same thing. That I need to be a bit more proactive about hospitality.
Lately it seems all of our hospitality has been shared with the friends of our children. I too, have been wanting to have more people in our home. Sharing dinner is my favorite way to practice hospitality, but we also like to play cards.
It can be a bit tiresome to have guests over....especially when you have to clean the house, shop for the food, prepare the food.....etc. etc. HOWEVER, when it is all said and done, there is something very comforting and rewarding to have friends and family over. Making memories is sooooo very important.
I love that bible verse at the end.
big hugs to you....
and you are welcome in our home any time!
becky
I enjoy having people in our home. Most often it's a single young adult or two from church who come for dinner, or games/movie. When I have families over, I serve something that I am familiar with (I don't experiment on company) and I usually delegate something to the guests to bring, usually salad or dessert.
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