Real hospitality

I believe that we often sell hospitality short. When most people think of hospitality, they think of someone decorating their house nice for some guests or providing a delicious meal. While this is part of hospitality, it is so much more.

Hospitality is an openness, a willingness to be vulnerable and available. This can be hard in a world that values privacy and private property. Let me share with you a paragraph from an essay I wrote a few years ago:

In our current society, hospitality has become a lost art in many ways. We live in a world of microwave ovens, text messaging, and iPods. Food can be prepared with little human interaction or need for others. We can communicate with one another without ever having to speak a word or look someone in the eye. We are able to enjoy our own, private entertainment without little need to consider the desires or tastes of others. In this world filled with self-centered, sometimes impersonal interaction, we must provide an example of authentic community. This requires us to display an openness towards everyone we encounter. We cannot and should not necessarily return to the specific methods of hospitality from centuries ago. However, we can show ways to engage in meaningful relationship that includes hospitality. In a world where people often close themselves off from others, we can be the ones who open our lives and make a difference in a world filled with loneliness and isolation.

Hospitality, at least in the Kingdom of God, requires us to open our lives to others. It cannot simply be something we do, it must become a part of who we are. We must strive to be people who open our lives to others.

This starts with an openness towards God. Are you welcoming God into every aspect of your life? Or do you only allow God access to certain parts? The more open we are towards God, the more open we will become towards others.

In a society that tends to build walls, avoid transparency, and cherishes the privacy of the individual, we have developed a high sense of loneliness. People are more opportunities than ever to communicate, but our communications are becoming more shallow.

If we are going to practice deep and significant hospitality, we must open our lives to God and other people. We must create margin in our lives and not be so busy. We have to have room for random, spontaneous moments where God can show up in powerful ways. Hospitality is more than serving up a fancy meal, it’s serving others through offering them all that you have and are.

 

shine!
Jason