The Unexpected Power of Hospitality
by Nancie Carmichael
Hospitality: a byproduct of the way we live, not something else that we must do.
A recent survey showed that we in our culture are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness. Chalk it up to family disunity or loss; our more transient lifestyle; aging and illness; or life on the “IPhone,” we are created for community and many of us just don’t have it.
We can meet that aching need through hospitality. It doesn’t have to mean implementing Ina Garten recipes and Martha Stewart decorating. While it is fun to get lost in ideas, hospitality can happen by simply taking the initiative to reach out. Yes, it may take effort, creativity and going beyond ourselves. But hospitality is the gift that keeps on giving because while hospitality is good for others, it’s also good for us. Scripture says, “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind... ” 1. Hospitality enlarges our spirits, our hearts.
What keeps us from reaching out? We may feel insecure about our home or our own selves. Maybe we just don’t have time for more people. And I get that, but we can miss so much when we close ourselves off to people. It helps to understand the true nature of hospitality: that it is a byproduct of the way we live, not something else that we must do.
Hospitality can mean inviting someone to your house to share a meal, or it can be as simple as including someone on a walk around the neighborhood. It can mean introducing oneself to someone new at church, and in turn, introducing them to another one of our friends. We can get comfortable in our own circles and do not even notice those who are awkwardly standing alone. Hospitality means to be approachable.
Hospitality means to live as Jesus did, reaching out to people, meeting their physical as well as their spiritual needs. He let children clamber on his lap. He provided food for the people in the countryside. He turned the water into wine. While we can’t do the miraculous, the wonder of it is that our Lord is accessible to us through the most common things of life. And maybe that is the miraculous: Offering water to a thirsty worker outside on a hot day. Taking time for coffee for someone new to the area. Listening to a child. A phone call asking, “How are you?” can be lifesaving to someone. Texting a scripture of hope to someone going through a hard patch. And we can also follow Jesus’ example as he frequently got away to be alone to be with the Father before he again immersed himself with people, finding that balance.
The best hospitality is easy, not forced. It is as simple as noticing people. Offering a smile. It is indeed simply showing kindness and simple friendliness.
What are some ways you can practice hospitality in your life now?
1. Prov. 11:7, TLB
