Hospitality Begins At Home

?Show?hospitality?to one another without grumbling.? ~1 Peter 4:9 (ESV)

I don?t know about you, but, that scares me. Just the thought of having a group of people (even a small group!) in my home can be overwhelming.

Our culture often equates ?hospitality? with ?entertaining.? ?And, I am not an ?entertainer.?

I have dear friends who are incredibly talented at entertaining. Seriously, they could put Martha Stewart to shame. They have lovely homes, that can comfortably accommodate large, elaborate dinner parties. They know how to put together a ?multi-course, gourmet meal, served at an elegantly set table. And, they appear do it effortlessly.

I have small children, so ?fancy? isn?t a word, or concept, that is often found in our vocabulary. Our home is not large. Oh, it is more than adequate for our little family, but it reaches capacity very quickly! And, while I can get a healthy, relatively tasty meal on the table for my family, it is usually far from gourmet!

Thankfully, for people like me, that isn?t what biblical hospitality is all about.

I am thankful for our little home. It is a blessing from the Lord!? And, it is one that we, as a family,?want to be faithful to use to bless, encourage, and minister to others.

My husband and I have a (long) list of people from our church that we would like to have over to our home. Our goal is to have one family over each month. But, in the year and a half that we have lived here, that hasn?t always happened.

It is so easy for me to get caught up in preparing to have people over ?menus, shopping lists, house cleaning, cooking? But, in the process, I complain about the work (or the people!) involved. I become easily irritated. My husband and children become interruptions and inconveniences, that get in the way of my ?ministry? of hospitality.

Each season of life brings with it a unique set of challenges and limitations.

I am a mom with young children. And, these days, time and energy is at a premium. Caring for my children (and my husband) is my priority. And, that means that, at times, I must limit my involvement in other (good!) activities and ?ministries,? in order to properly focus on and invest in them.

Proverbs 31:27 shows us that a woman of character and integrity ??looks well to the ways of her household? first. No, that does not mean that I am excluded from the biblical mandate to show hospitality. It just means that during this particular season, I need to be discerning and creative?in how I show and practice hospitality.

Although the ministry of hospitality generally applies to those outside of our own home, it must start at home.

The hospitality that we show to others should be an extension of what we are already practicing within our own home and family. Once we have established a pattern of showing hospitality to our own family, only then we can begin effectively reaching out, and extending the ministry of hospitality to others.

Veronica

Veronica is pastor?s wife, a homemaker, a homeschooler, a mommy?and above all, a sinner saved by grace.? Amid the chaos and clamor of life, it is her desire to have a quiet heart. One that is passionately obedient to God?s Word, and content in the roles, responsibilities, blessings, and trials that our Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to give? Veronica blogs at A Quiet Heart, challenging herself, and others, to think biblically, obey passionately, and live contentedly.?She can occasionally be found on Facebook and on Twitter @AQuietHeart.

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