Hospitality

While at church a couple weeks ago, my family was invited to have lunch at the home of an acquaintance. We had visited with this beautiful woman a few times at church, and she opened her home today and welcomed us, as well as another couple, to a scrumptious lunch. I could tell she had taken a great deal of effort with her preparations.  Her home is in a beautiful mountain setting and she happily gave us a tour of not only her house, relaxing wrap around porch and garden, and perhaps, most notably, she offered a glimpse into the caring person she is. The fellowship was amazing, the atmosphere calming to the spirit.  She stepped out of her comfort zone to invite us over, and showed us a genuine example of hospitality. We were blessed to be there, and I feel blessed now thinking about the experience.

Have you ever felt the urge to step outside of that zone, and invite someone to lunch? To do something kind for an acquaintance or stranger with no expectation of reward? When we neglect these urges, I believe we miss out on blessings. These blessings are gifts that will fuel us to continue on this quest of kindness and generosity. Ignore the desire to do kind and generous things, and eventually the desire may go away. I don’t want to miss out on blessings! I know this seems repetitive, since my last blog was similar, however, I feel I needed to write about this again for my own development. I need to be continually reminded, until it becomes a habit.

Let’s bless someone at the next urging!  I welcome comments if you want to share how acts of kindness have changed you in some way.

Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

1 Peter 4:8-10 (NIV)

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

Today I wanted to write about something enlightening. Truthfully, I was at the dentist having two root canals taken care of. I was desperate to take my mind off the drill in my mouth for what seemed like two straight hours. That awful whirring sound makes my skin crawl. Usually when I am not able to write my thoughts down, interesting ideas flash into my mind then vaporize. Not this time. I am home, and my earlier thought is still with me (the Novocain shot is wearing off though, just saying!)

My idea for today is not a shocking new concept; it is something that I personally need to pray about and take to heart daily. I am at my best emotionally when I do nice things for people I do not know. This is succinctly stated in the Bible, my guidebook.

Matthew 5:46 ESV, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?”

This does not mean that I should not love those who love me. That comes naturally. Rather, it refers to making an effort toward people who may not know or like me. I have heard a lot of buzz recently about gratitude, but what about anonymous gratitude? What if I was intentionally kind to at least one stranger a day? How about a perceived enemy? What would change about my everyday life if I made an extra effort to do something, even if I can only manage ONE thing each day, nice for someone with no anticipation of recognition? I like the idea of “pay it forward,” but why wait until something nice is done for me? When I am feeling depressed or emotionally drained, I need to do this to recharge myself. This concept coupled with prayer, in my opinion, is the best way to heal emotionally. I thought of just a few examples of actions I can take every day to show my gratitude:

·         Open a door for someone
·         Smile and say “good morning” or “good afternoon” to a stranger (while doing above)
·         Help someone load their groceries from the shopping cart into their car so they can get out of the  heat (or cold) quickly
·         Pay for a drive through meal for the vehicle behind me
·         Send or drop off a thank you card to someone who was nice to me, even if they were just doing their job
·         Send or drop off an anonymous cheerful card to someone who seems to be sad or troubled
·         Pick up and toss a pesky piece of trash that is sitting on the sidewalk in front of a local business
·         Hand a cold bottle of water to a homeless or stranded person

Romans 12:2 ESV  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

These ideas are not new but I must renew them in my mind on a daily basis. I want to make a difference. Will you join me?  I welcome comments and ideas to add to the list above.