The doorbell rings and your heart flutters. “I’m not expecting any company today,” you think to yourself. You look around at the toys on the floor, the laundry basket in the corner and other miscellaneous items scattered around the room in frustration. As you approach the door you attempt to gather yourself and put on your best face. “Oh, good afternoon sister. What a pleasant surprise. Come on in.” you say as gleefully as possible. Then, it happens–the apologies and excuses begin. Please excuse our untidiness today,we got a late start; these kids never pick up after themselves; it’s laundry day, just to name a few.
It’s no different when you get a call and someone requests to stop by, the anxiety still exists. But why? What has given us the notion that we all have to be Martha Stewart or B. Smith with Style? What has given us the notion that we should appear to be prepared to entertain like Martha or B. Smith at a moments 
notice? I like things to be aesthetically pleasing so, I recently wrestled in this area and became extremely frustrated.
We struggle in the area of hospitality. After a few conversations lately, I realize that I’m not the only one. My house is lived in. I have two young daughters, that love to play, Although we have systems set into place, sometimes something just doesn’t get put away and I have to learn to be okay with that. Why should I feel rushed to make someone think that our family doesn’t live in our home? Should I wait until I’m ready to be featured in Better Homes and Gardens or In Style Homes to open our home to company? That can’t be true.
Remember, if you will, the commercial when the woman convinces her family that their dessert “takes time” as she relaxes while reading a novel. She then, hurriedly splatters her face and clothes with flour and bursts from the kitchen with the Rice Krispy Treats as if she slaved over them. It is easy to want everyone to remember all the work we put into our centerpieces and how we slaved over a meal. That’s our flesh just doing what it does. It should be more important to us that our guest are comfortable than how impressed they are with us. Hospitality begins in our hearts. We can forgo fancy feasts and lavish decorations and open our hearts when we open our homes.
Our culture has caused us to be consumed with keeping up appearances. We have confused the true meaning of Biblical hospitality. It is not about living in the right neighborhood or having the “right house”. It’s about serving others and not about others praising us for doing so. Jesus often crossed economic, cultural and social divides in order to be hospitable to others, even though he wasn’t in his own home.
Being hospitable may not always be convenient or comfortable. As a child, my parents opened up our three bedroom home all the time. Often, to people that they had just met. My mom and her sisters would get together and prepare meals and there would always be more than enough. My parents would lend their vehicles to people while other saints questioned their actions. I did not understand why I had to crash on the couch or why we were down to one vehicle then but, now I understand what they felt compelled to do. They had to show the love of Christ. The following scriptures highlight the importance of the hospitality of believers:
When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:13 (NLT)
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:2 (NLT)
Practice hospitality to one another (those of the household of faith). [Be hospitable, be a lover of strangers, with brotherly affection for the unknown guests, the foreigners, the poor, and all others who come your way who are of Christ's body.] And [in each instance] do it ungrudgingly (cordially and graciously, without complaining but as representing Him). 1 Peter 4:9 (Amplified)
After meditating on these scriptures I feel at peace with our lived in abode. I thank God that we always have a place for someone to rest their head, something to satisfy their hunger and word of prayer. I thank God that those unexpected visits might have been preordained. No more concern with keeping up appearances.
On every level of life from housework to the heights of prayer, in all judgement and all efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are the sure marks of an amateur. Evelyn Underhill
