Happy Spring! This is the beautiful time of year when we think of new beginnings. New baby birds, flowers blooming, trees coming to life. This week was another new beginning. My husband and I closed on our first home. We started talking about how much we have been blessed, and that in turn we wanted to be a blessing to others. One of the dreams my husband and I both have for our home is that it would be a warm and welcoming atmosphere where people would feel comfortable and loved.
We will be spending the next week bathing our new home in prayer and covering the walls in prayers and scriptures before we paint. Our hope and prayer is to have a ministry where people feel safe and cared for. When we started discussing what this would look like, I was trying to figure out how things would LOOK rather than how they would FEEL. I wanted my home to look appealing and impressive. I thought I wanted guests to walk in and be in awe at my perfectly put together sitting room or kitchen. But my husband gently reminded me that our goal was to be a blessing, not make people think I was this great and perfect hostess. He was right. I refocused myself in what truly mattered and discovered that a warm, welcoming home only requires 3 things:
1. A Welcoming Heart
My favorite home decoration is my doormat because it sums up our goal for our home. It says “All are welcome here”. The day we closed on the home, within hours, we had a full house. I absolutely loved it. It filled my heart with joy to have a room full of family and friends sitting around talking, laughing, sharing snacks and beverages. The tea kettle can be on in less than five minutes and there’s always some sort of baked goods in our home. The people in our lives know that they are welcome to stop by at any time for a shoulder to cry on, a friend to laugh with, or just a listening ear. Our heart and home will always welcome with open arms.
2. A Loving Spirit
I am an introvert. I grew up spending most of my time with my books and piano rather than a lot of people. My husband is definitely an extrovert. He loves people and he loves being around a lot of them. It energizes him. This was not so for me, especially during the first part of our relationship. I had to be really careful to not let my natural introvert personality become a dislike of people. It was hard to get used to. But the more I did it, the more I loved it. I had to purposely cultivate a loving spirit. After all, we are commanded to do so by God Himself in 1 Peter 4:9 “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Now, the more time I spend with people, the more I fall in love with them and want to serve them. I have found that when I obey God in offering hospitality, He in turn blesses my heart with joy and gratitude and deepens my love for those around me.
3. A Humble Attitude
There’s a line between confidence and arrogance, it’s humility. There’s nothing wrong with having nice and pretty things, but be careful that those things aren’t causing a false sense of superiority in your attitude. Wanting to host to bless others is wonderful, but wanting to host to show off your stuff is not. Nothing beautiful asks for attention. Walk and speak with confidence, but remember where you started and never look down at someone who is where you were.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this post! Please share what you’ve found to be important when running a hospitality ministry in your home.
Blessings,
Paige
reclaiminghergrace.com 