Practicing Hospitality

 Every time I walk (or run!) by this house, it just looks so inviting and makes me want to walk right up there and sit a while.  I love porches.  I love rocking chairs and swings.  It's just so calming to me and makes me feel very content.  While I don't have expectations to live in a house anywhere nearly as big as this one, when I grow up, I would like to have a porch.  I think that's more realistic.  :-) 

Today I was reading a post on hospitality on (in)courage.  They have various contributors each month, and this post happened to be about opening one's home when things are looking less-than-perfect around the house. 

I also know that hospitality isn't about perfection, or even near perfection.

In fact, I share continually that hospitality is about just being available, and that it's about the time spent connecting with one another. And yet even though inviting people to share life with me is what I do, it's what I desire, I couldn't shake "Martha's" increasingly loud whisper.

To me, porches are a symbol of hospitality, of "connecting with one another."  I can't tell you the countless memories I have of conversations on porches... 

My mom and dad are excellent in the hospitality department.  I'd like to think I learned a few things from them over the years.  :-)  On our back porch, we've celebrated graduations and weddings.  It's there I'd like to think I've learned the art of conversation.  We hosted a send-off party for Berklee College of Music students from Texas, and James Taylor's brother came and gave us a private concert last summer.  (He's a professor there--cool, huh?)   For several years, we had a celebration for the interns at the firm where my dad works.  I learned a lot about how to connect with people and how to try and make them feel comfortable. 

Now that I have a place of my own (with Claire!), I love having people over and making them feel welcome.  (Turns out you don't need a porch do that.)  It gives me great joy to open our door and invite them in.  I realize that to some, opening their home is completely overwhelming and quite a challenge.  And that's ok.  Everyone has different gifts!  But for a long time, I have loved The Message version from Romans 12:9-13 because of the parts on hospitality:

Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

I'm not really sure what got me thinking about hospitality and porches today, but I just wanted to share it on the blog today.  Have a wonderful weekend!