Unsung Heroes: Hospitality of Lydia — Wednesday
1 Peter 4:9
Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. (NLT)
I grew up in a home where hospitality was the norm. There was literally always a rotating door of friends, family, and strangers in and out of our house, around our dinner table, and on our couch.
In 2011, my hometown was destroyed by a deadly tornado. We were fortunate enough to escape with no damage to our home—but that meant we had a job to do. I have a big family already (there are six of us kids), but my parents invited two other families who had lost their homes to live with us for the next several months. One was my quiet childhood pediatrician, his wife, and their two teenage kids. And the other was a Hispanic homeschooling family with nine kids under the age of 16. Mixed all together, we were a motley crew. But we became like family. That’s what hospitality is all about.
Another time, I had been gone over the summer to do an internship in California. When I arrived back in Missouri on my front porch with my suitcase, my mom hugged me around the neck and said, “Oh, by the way, we gave your bedroom to 3 Estonian girls who are living with us right now. You can sleep on the couch ‘til you go back to college.” It was a little abrupt, yes, but it also wasn’t shocking or offensive to me because that was just how our house was—built on an ethic of “Mi casa es su casa.”
I was modeled hospitality from a young age, so it felt like it came naturally to me and to my family. But that’s not true for everyone. Opening your heart and your home to others can feel very unnatural—and uncomfortable! It would be easy to say, “Well, I’ll leave hospitality to the extroverts” or “I’ll be more hospitable when I have a bigger house, more money, etc.” But that’s not what Scripture teaches.
According to the Bible, hospitality is not just a good thing for us to practice, but a necessary thing. It’s not just commended… it’s commanded! The verse above is not just a suggestion to those who feel like hospitality is easy or fun or natural. It’s a challenge and an instruction to ALL of us, regardless of our personality, income, cooking ability, house size, or otherwise. More on that tomorrow.
Wednesday’s Reflection
What feels easy to you about hospitality? What feels challenging? Read Matthew 25:34-36. How does this shape what you believe about hospitality?
