3 Easy Steps to Random Hospitality

Do you love to host, but usually find yourself in an empty house?  Do you wish you could invite the new family at church or school over, but find the list of preparations overwhelming?  Do you find yourself exhausted every time you have company over?  Then this post is for you.  And me.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have been given commands to care for others.  Among these are looking after orphans and widows and loving our neighbor as ourselves, just to name a few.  One way to obey these commands can be through hospitality, or sharing your home and a meal.  But here in America, our image and selfishness can too easily get in the way.  Here are 3 easy steps you can take to quickly loosen the chains that have kept you from loving others through hospitality:

1. Prepare Your Pantry
If you have a large meal on hand at all times, your first hurdle is conquered.  We like to keep tortillas, canned black beans, and shredded cheddar on hand at all times.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup is another inexpensive, quickly prepared meal that warms the heart and doesn't go bad quickly.  You could also stock your freezer with meals by making double every recipe and freezing half.  You don't need to prepare some Iron-Chef-worthy meal to show someone love.  The point is to feed well, not to impress.

2. Prepare Your Home
Whether you have a 700 square foot apartment and no table, or a 10-foot table and large spaces, you can use your home to bless guests.  Lamps and candles give off warm light, a few low-maintenance plants add life, and a comfortable place to sit bestows peace.  If in order to have friends over you feel you must do more cleaning than can fit into 15 minutes, then you might want to re-arrange your home or to be less of an upkeep burden on yourself.  We have 4 kinds of flooring, an old dusty home, and both cloth and leather furniture.  Before someone comes over, I can run a dust rag over our tables and leather, use a rubber brush to sweep dog hair off our fabric furniture, sweep the hard floors, and light a few candles in under 15 minutes.  Honestly, though, we have so few knickknacks and such low-maintenance decor that I really can clean once or twice a week and not have to panic when we have unexpected guests.  And remember that others usually don't notice what you think is "a horrible mess" in your home.  Unless you're a hoarder.  In which case, get healing.  But seriously, try to arrange your home in such a way that it can be a warm blessing to guests with or without notice.

3. Prepare Your Heart
This is the step that might not be truly "easy;" usually the real reason we do not invite people over for food and fellowship is the issue of our heart.  We want more to impress others with an image of perfection than to show others the love of Christ.  We want more to maintain control over our schedule and to put our kids and ourselves to bed on time than to feed our neighbors and welcome their children.  Ask the Lord to soften your heart to let His Spirit draw your attention to those around you who are new and out of place, hurting and lonely, or desperate for friendship.  If you notice someone new at church, introduce yourself and invite them over afterwards for lunch.  If you meet a frazzled parent at your child's school or activity, invite them over for a peaceful breakfast while the kids are away.  If your friend's spouse is out of town with work, invite them to bring their kids over for dinner to give them a break.  If you have children, explain to them that your home is a gift meant to bless others.  Encourage them in sensitivity and compassion, and in looking for people to invite over.  Sometimes they hear better than we adults do!

Please note that there is no "Prepare Your Face" portion.  Because hospitality is our opportunity to lavish love and the gift of nourishing food on a precious person the Lord has made and sent our way, not a runway show.  Spend your 5 minutes before your husband gets home with a co-worker lighting candles and making tea rather than putting on makeup and nicer clothes.  Your attitude of love and acceptance towards a guest means so much more to them than the season's decor, your appearances, or the caliber of food you put on the table.  Don't let your selfishness or pride keep you from responding cheerfully to them or to the Lord.  What an honor it is that He would send someone to our home for us to minister to...and an eternal investment when we happily obey!