Mid-Week Inspiration: Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Every encounter with someone moves a relationship toward hostility or being hospitable. The choice is yours.
Christian mystic and theologian Henri Nouwen once wrote, "Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy."
In simpler terms, hospitality is about opening up your heart and your space to others, allowing them to feel welcomed and valued, and, in the process, turning strangers into friends.
Let me tell you two biblical stories. First, it is the heat of the day, and Abraham is taking a breather under the oaks of Mamre. As he sits there resting, he notices three men coming toward him. Abraham could ignore them, tell them they were not welcome, or say he had nothing to offer them. Instead, he chooses to be welcoming. As a result, he is told the news that his wife - both past the age of having children - is told she will give birth to a son. And his life changes.
In the second story, the Israelites have been suffering under the heavy hand of the Midianites for seven years. The people of Midian stole their crops and left nothing for their livestock to graze and eat. Gideon was working wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites when a visitor approached and called him "Mighty warrior." Gideon could have sent him on his way. He could have told him that he didn't trust him or that he didn't have time. Instead, he welcomed him and his message and as a result, started a movement that gave the people back their freedom.
New possibilities. New life. New stories. All because the characters chose hospitality over hostility. They decided to be welcoming. They chose to create space in their life for strangers to become friends.
Stories like these would lead the author of Hebrews to write, "Don't neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it" Hebrews 13:2.
Being welcoming is intentionally choosing to act with kindness towards others.
Yes, being welcoming is an interruption. It interrupts our daily routine. It is inconvenient. But if you think about it, much good in your life has come from being interrupted. We would not be where we are if God had not interrupted us with a new life. Being hospitable is being open to the interruptions of grace. And who doesn't need more grace in their life?
Jamey
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Mid-Week Prayer:
Gracious God, May our hearts open wide like welcoming doors, our hands extend in generous service, and our homes reflect the warmth of Your love. Amen.
Great article.