My response when I did the math:
Nuts! That's crazy!
Joel and I believe greatly in the importance of meeting in small groups (especially within a church body) to really walk out all week what we hear with our ears and profess to believe on Sundays and so we *mostly* willingly open our home each week.
I tell you this only because there have been roughly 300 weekly opportunities for my heart to grumble and complain and even as I think about tomorrow being Wednesday there is a part of me that thinks "alright, here we go again." While I love opening our home, I definitely grow weary at times. I read the post below this week at girltalk and was reminded once again of the reason we open our home each week.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." 1 Peter 4:8-9
How do we practice hospitality cheerfully instead of begrudgingly? We remember the why: We practice hospitality because we have first received hospitality.
“Grace is the hospitality of God to welcome sinners not because of their goodness but because of his glory,” explains John Piper:
“The ultimate act of hospitality was when Jesus Christ died for sinners to make everyone who believes a member of the household of God. We are no longer strangers and sojourners. We have come home to God. Everybody who trusts in Jesus finds a home in God.”
If we have trusted in Jesus, we have found a home in God. We were once strangers, alienated from God because of our sin. But through the suffering of Jesus Christ, we have been brought near to God. We are not strangers anymore.
We have received the ultimate act of hospitality! How can we not, in turn, show grace and love to others by extending hospitality to strangers?
When we truly understand the gospel, the amazing, undeserved love that has been shown to us, we will find a powerful incentive to show hospitality that will conquer every hindrance or reluctance. Reflecting upon Christ’s lavish hospitality will compel us to joyfully show hospitality to one another.
Reflecting upon Christ’s lavish hospitality will compel us to joyfully show hospitality to one another.
In the midst of the 300ish weeks of having an open door, I was convicted at about the 250ish mark (yep, I'm slow to learn) that so often while our door may have been open, my heart was dead-bolted shut. I was deeply convicted that the state of my floors was inconsequential when compared to the state of my soul and that when I hurried past an early-comer without even making eye contact so I could finish my "to-do's" of tidying and putting children to bed, I was missing much more than a moment of kindness. I was missing the entire point.
Once the gracious God who opens His door to faithless sinners like me gently showed me my hardened heart, I found really practical must-knows and tangible to-dos to prepare my heart and our home for welcoming whomever comes a knockin' each week:
- I Prepare. Expect the unexpected. There is not continual grace for being unprepared and in a hurry. People have been coming to our home for 7+ years; I should not treat this fact like it is a weekly surprise. The unexpected will happen every Wednesday. It should be expected: a child will need extra attention, the husband will have a meeting that goes late, dinner will take longer to cook, something will break, messes will fall like manna. It took over 5 years for me to realize that in order to make sure my heart is in the right place come 7:30pm on Wednesday, preparation needed to begin days before hand.
- I keep it simple. I make a weekly menu, let a slow-cooker or soup pot cook for me. I try not to plan anything extra (like play dates, errand running, etc.)
- I know that people are creatures of habit. They will most likely sit in the same seats each week so as I put out our folding chairs, fluff pillows on the couch, or setup a playpen in the spare room, I start preparing my heart by praying for those who will be seated hours later.
- I try to engage children in the preparations. I have our girls help cook, tidy, and pray for our friends. And by God's grace, I do it with a happy heart so they learn by example that opening one's home is a joy!
- I've started to delegate. That guy that comes early? Taught him how to grind coffee. (We love you, Tyler!) I call for help when I don't have time to make goodies or (gasp!) sometimes we don't have an edible treat. And you know something? People still come back.
- I know that there have been and will be weeks when nothing but the love of Jesus and the some good old fashioned solitude are the only things that will get our family to Thursday. So we cancel, reschedule, or change locations. And when the temptation to cancel indefinitely arises, we pray, thank God for the dear souls who grace our home each week and start preparing in advance for the next week.
- Penultimately, I remember that people aren't going to notice whether or not my floors are spic and span, or if I've dusted this
weekseason. They will however notice my shoulders sagging, impatient tone with my family or flustered demeanor. - And ultimately, in all things, I hope to remember that the why is much greater than the how.
We remember the why: We practice hospitality because we have first received hospitality.Until we are home for good, may our homes be glimpses of what is to come.
“Grace is the hospitality of God to welcome sinners not because of their goodness but because of his glory,” explains John Piper:
“The ultimate act of hospitality was when Jesus Christ died for sinners to make everyone who believes a member of the household of God. We are no longer strangers and sojourners. We have come home to God. Everybody who trusts in Jesus finds a home in God.”
Love. You speak my heart here, Karli.
ReplyDeleteI would add that people may not even notice if I am flustered, but surely the slumped shoulders of my children and the weariness in my husband is a clear sign that all was not well before they walked in the door.
About ten years ago now, I saw the hypocrisy in this, and the potential to teach my children that they were not important, but our image was. That behavior ended right quick (with a few hiccups along the way!) :)
There is nothing like having people in our homes to tell of the love and family of Christ. I wish every healthy, loving Godly family would know this and do this! What a witness.
Amongst the turmoil at our congregation here, we've purposed to not let the church building be a stumbling block to this town anymore- people from the community are always welcome in our home. I don't change the menu, don't clean beyond what's normal, and we welcome them in, dirty floors, sticky cheerios, smiling children and all. :)
Thank you for sharing- I'm bookmarking this to remember always. I love your list of how to prepare- so wise! Love YOU.
xo
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"...we've purposed to not let the church building be a stumbling block to this town anymore- people from the community are always welcome in our home."
DeleteI love this. Mostly because you are purposing, pressing on in the calling you have received.
I held on to Proverbs yesterday:
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
As within hours of "publishing," husband was late, dinner was late, Anna was bleeding all over. By God's grace, His timing was perfect and I could do nothing but laugh, smile at His sovereign sense of humor and remember that to deviate from the words I had just written would be such hypocrisy :) So there we were at 7pm with a menu that had changed, things less clean than normal, dirty floors, sticky fingers, and somewhat smiling children, ready to welcome all in...