Gracious Hospitality

Gracious Hospitality. Gracious Hospitality? These two words, or rather, this phrase, has been running through my mind today and I thought I would share my thoughts.

I have been incredibly busy this week getting ready for some brief company this weekend and some not so brief company next weekend. Combine this incredible busy-ness with major second trimester "nesting" and what have you got? My DH called me [when he knew it was safe to say it, and not a second before hand] the hormonal witch of the east. I LOVE having company, but most of the time as I struggle to babysit my daily charges, take care of my own DS who is constantly into EVERYTHING he can get his precious little hands on, and clean the house at the same time, I admit I do get worn out and I begin to doubt myself, doubt my house, and generally anything else I am able to doubt, I do. I worry what my guests will think about how hot the upstairs of my home is, or I wonder what they will think about my front porch that is always a mess and seems to overwhelm me. I also wonder about meals to serve. What will they think of the tried and true? What if I deviate from the "safe" meals I have cooked 100 times over and I bomb? Well, I actually have come to the conclusion that most of these worries that I have do not have anything to do with hospitality. From the Words of the Lord, our Bible states in I Peter 4:9: "Use hospitality one to another without grudging.". I use this especially in regards to what our own little church is going through right now. We have been looking for a pastor since the beginning of this year and the Lord has graciously brought a Godly man and his family into our midst that has agreed to be our interim pastor until the end of the year. While this family has been visiting, we still have other preachers coming a long way from out of town to preach for us and they must have a place to stay. I think we as Christians should always be willing to give of what we have and open our homes as much as we are able. It doesn't matter if your table cloth doesn't match your dining room. It doesn't matter if the house isn't as clean as you would like it to be. It doesn't matter what excuse you can come up with, we should be willing to open our doors to visitors when we are able to and share with them what you do have and also to share with them what the Lord has done for you and how He has blessed your life. This is as much a pep talk to me as it is advice to all of my dear sisters in Christ. I have two families I know of that I often use as examples. There is a dear couple in my church that is so often able and willing to put people up in their home. They are so loving and kind and EVERYONE comes away thanking them for their hospitality. Another is my mother in law. She is at anytime willing to drop anything and everything and have people in her home visiting, staying for short or long visits or just dropping by. Her home is always open to anyone who she may be able to minister to. Both of these families inspire me to let go of my doubts and fears and focus on what truly is important and that is ministering to the saints.

May the Lord bless us as we endeavor to be the godly and virtuous women He has called us to be!