Hospitality

Although it is not at all a gift of mine, I've come to deeply appreciate the ministry of hospitality. When I was younger, I dreamed of having a house full of children and envisioned my husband and I crowded around a huge table with them for daily meals. The energy, conversation and excitement of that picture pleased me. 

My family life has always been rich and full, but family is family and then there is everyone else. At least that's how it was for me most of my life. One of the things that puzzled me was how you ever draw near enough to another person for that person to become family. Marriage alluded me for so long in part because of that. I couldn't fathom where that connection would begin.

In my journey through singleness, God showed me many things. One of them is how friends can become family, if you both choose it. After all, God calls all believers a part of the family of God. So any of us who are believers are family, whether we act like it or not. It finally occurred to me that our biological family is a physical representation of a spiritual truth, yet again. The primary example for us of what our relationship bonds should be with other believers. As with anything, I laid hold of that truth and began living it with the believing friends in my world.

In some cases, I got burned. My commitment to some relationships was not at all reciprocated. In other cases, the bonds of friendship and depth of relationship increased to sisterly proportions. I'm so very grateful for learning to take the risk for the stronger bonds of sisterhood I've found with so many precious friends.

Although the deeper friendships started with friends in Memphis, I hit the ground running when we met and made new friends here. We actually struggled, both Matt and I, for about a year taking notice that other people weren't quite ready for that kind of friendship. Praise the Lord things have changed. We have found that several friendships have deepened or are deepening to the point of family. 

The ministry of hospitality has become a huge part of building those relationships and it has been intentional. Recently a friend posted on Facebook a comment made about Hospitality. 

Although it doesn't come naturally, I hope for many more opportunities to welcome friends into our home...to show them love and acceptance and to encourage them as much as we can through the good and difficult times in life.