Hospitality – Ami’s Perspective

Ami is a real life friend of mine who recently started a blog, Ami’s Thoughts, focusing on hospitality.  I asked Ami to share some of her ideas on this important and (in my opinion) often neglected topic.

What comes to mind when you hear the word “hospitality”?  Do you think of it as an entertaining thing to do when you have time and extra money? Or, like me in my earlier years of marriage, did it send shivers down your spine? As a young married woman I couldn’t wait to practice hospitality “someday”.  Someday when we had a bigger house, not a tiny apartment.  Someday when I didn’t have two little ones underfoot. Someday when we had a bigger grocery budget and could afford company. Ah yes, someday.

As a young married woman, I looked forward to practicing hospitality.  I was also keenly aware of our lack of finances, how small our home was (a very small apartment) and how I perceived it needed to be decorated and cleaned before I could ever even think about having anyone over.  My husband had other ideas.  He didn’t bat an eye when our small group from church needed a place to meet one evening.  He automatically volunteered our place.  At the time I was not very happy with him.  Didn’t he know what kind of stress he was putting on me?  UGH!  Hospitality is not my gift.  Our small group met every Thursday evening.  I had a week to prepare!  We would not only be responsible for providing the meeting place but for providing snacks as well.  How would I ever be able to afford to feed that many people?  If memory serves me correctly, we had approximately 6 couples attending on a regular basis.  Our grocery budget was $35 a week.  My husband suggested making Jiffy muffin mixes.  They came in different flavors like Raspberry and Blueberry.  You could get 5 boxes for about a dollar and just add water and an egg, and bake in muffin pans.  We planned on preparing and serving a couple of pitchers of lemonade.

Oh, did I mention we owned 4 wooden chairs and that’s it?  We had no furniture!  We solved that problem by asking people to bring their own outdoor chairs and some people sat on the floor.

When Thursday night arrived I had been working and working.  I was worn out!

Guess what?  It all worked out!  Everyone loved the muffins and wanted the recipe.  I had to laugh at that one!  You would think that after hosting our small group that I would have learned to relax and enjoy practicing hospitality huh?  Well, let’s just say I‘m a slow learner sometimes!!!!

Looking back now after 13 some-odd years, I realize that I was just being prideful.  I was more concerned with what people would think about where we lived and what kind of food we served them.  I wasn’t seeking to bless others, only myself.  I was too worried about “me” and how they viewed me.

One day I was trying to find a passage of scripture in the Bible when 1Peter 4:9 caught my eye.  It says “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”  Then I happened to come across Romans 12:13 “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

Notice the words “seek” and “show”.  They are verbs, something you do, not something that you wait to happen to you.  Seek to show hospitality?  You mean I have to practice hospitality?  It’s a commandment?  Yes.  Before you quit reading this, let me encourage you.  I did not think I had the gift of hospitality either.  I simply obeyed this commandment and it started getting easier and easier.  It’s amazing how “practice makes progress”.

Here are some practical ways to start practicing hospitality:
Now that fall and cooler weather are on the way you could host a soup exchange.  Invite 2-3 of your friends over and tell them to bring a crock pot full of their favorite soup, along with enough copies of the recipe to share.  As the hostess you provide the place and serving bowls.  I suggest using little custard cups if you have them.  That way, each person can get a small sampling of each soup.  If you don’t have small custard cups, you can buy some Dixie cups at the store.  They are inexpensive and make clean up a breeze.  Or if you want to host a “green” event ask each person to bring their own small bowl.  You might want to provide some bread and butter either baked by you or store bought.  You can get a large loaf of French bread for around $1 at the grocery store.

Another inexpensive idea for this time of the year is a baked potato party.  You provide the potatoes and ask the guests to bring toppings.

We have also had a “bring your own pizza party”.  We just ask people to bring their family’s favorite pizza to eat and we provide everyone with a place to eat, drinks, and sometimes dessert.  This is a really inexpensive way to practice hospitality without breaking the bank!  People have brought everything from frozen pizzas to be cooked at our house to a pizza from the local pizzeria.  The point is to fellowship and practice hospitality.

What about a dessert party?  You provide coffee, tea, and hot cocoa, and the place.  Ask everyone else to make a dessert to share.

Don’t forget to get your children involved in this process.  Ask them for ideas.  Get them excited about this too.

So forget about all of those excuses running around in your head.  Set a date and invite some people over.  You’ll be surprised how much it blesses them and you.

You may also enjoy:

1. Choosing Hospitality
2. Given to Hospitality
3. Tips for Different Types of Hospitality + Recipes: 4 Moms