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Day Three: Afraid of Dinner Parties
1 Peter 4:8-9: “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.”
Hosting things isn’t really in my gift set. I do it, but I’m not like one of those people who is like, “Please! Yes! My home! Having people over and fixing delicious foods and entertaining is my life blood! PLEASE PLEASE send all the people over every day for the rest of my life. My home is your home! Mi casa su casa! My door is always open! I happen to have a fresh pan of biscuits right here!”
No. I’m more, “Oh! Someone else is hosting? Sounds great! Heavens be praised. I’ll bring the paper plates!” Even with people I love, like my dearest friends, when I’m the one hosting, I stress. I didn’t know that cleaning baseboards was a thing until I was in my thirties. I once tried to make an hors d'oeuvre I saw on Pinterest using toothpicks and watermelon and some sort of cheese, and as fate would have it, I got one of those mealy rotten tasting watermelons. I served it anyway. I undercook chicken and overcook grilled cheeses, and I am not even a little bit able to pour someone a glass of water while also carrying on a conversation.
Not my skill set.
But then, I see verses like the one today in 1 Peter, and I recall being loved by hospitable people who pulled me up out of pits I found my way into and pointed me to Christ.
And I remember hospitality isn’t watermelon on toothpicks. Hospitality is Love. I don’t remember baseboards. I remember words of life spoken over me in the homes of people with open hearts. Forgive me if that sounds like a Kay Jewelers' commercial. It’s just true.
There are these large portions of the Bible that prick me because I know I have a tendency to withhold hospitality out of fear. Fear that my food won’t be any good. Fear that my house won’t be any good. Fear that the words that come out of my mouth won’t be charming or impressive.
But, the thing is, God doesn’t call us to be charming or impressive or tidy. He calls us to walk with Him and be loved by Him. And when we enjoy His love, love spills out onto others naturally. When we gaze upon the beauty of Christ, He gives us what we need to speak life into the people we let into our world.
-- Do you love hosting or are you more like me? If you are hostess with the mostest, ask the Lord, today, to help you exude His love and point the people in your life to Him. If hospitality is something that makes you uncomfortable, ask the Lord for opportunities to serve people and for love that outweighs your fears.
Additional Reading: Acts 2; Luke 14:15-23
Scripture
About this Plan
What does the gospel say about your fears? What does it say about the irrational ones, like sinkholes in the Target parking lot? How does it speak to the rational ones, like PET scan predictions? And does the gospel have a word for the fears you feel you'll have for life, like the possibility of losing the one you love most?
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