The doorbell rang, and I swung the door open wide to let our friends inside. I greeted them barefoot with a friendly smile, a warm hug, and a welcoming heart. We shared a meal together, and not once did I worry about the broken toilet in the guest bathroom, the wispy dog fur floating around on my wood floors, or the stack of mail on the kitchen counter. Now, this may not sound like a big deal to you, but for me, this shows I have come a long way in understanding the true meaning of hospitality.
The dictionary defines hospitality as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers,” but a long time ago, I discovered that hospitality means so much more than that.
How do we become hospitable people?
For years, I thought that in order to invite others over I had to have a perfect home and prepare a gourmet meal. I was nervous and anxious about asking people over for fear they would judge my cooking and cleaning skills. My parents didn’t often entertain, so I didn’t have much of a frame of reference for what hospitality looked like.
My husband was unsure as well as we both wondered, how do we become hospitable people?
To read the rest of the post and how hospitality looks to us now, please head here where I guest posted for Women Encouraged.
Loved this! I am not good at inviting people over because of some of your same initial fears. I am going to try and open my door wider- thanks Natalie!
Jules,
You always offer the best encouragement! Thank you for commenting 🙂 I am excited to hear about how it goes when you open your door wider! xo
“Our homes don’t need to be perfect to be joyful.” I love that! Such a great mental picture/goal to have: a Joyful home! We don’t often think of our home as conveying an emotion. That was so helpful!
Stephanie,
It makes me happy to know you found the post helpful! I hope you are able to create a joyful home for yourself and family xo