Open, the Hospitable HeartParaugs

Genuine Welcome

I thought of you before you arrived. I’ve been looking forward to your visit. I was watching for you.

It has been said that first impressions (for better or worse) are made in a short 7–27 seconds. When we meld that general rule into the expression of hospitality, we are talking about the time it takes people to get out of their car, approach the house and cross the threshold. These moments set the tone for the whole visit.

I learned first-impression courtesy by watching my grandmother do it well. She made my child-soul sing. To see her from my backseat car window after the long hours of travel from Georgia to Virginia, slipping out onto the front porch or stepping up the stone path, gave the impression she had been watching for us. She had anticipated our visit. Her genuine gladness showed me that her home was my home.

I have also experienced the opposite. On one visit to the home of a friend, whom we hadn’t seen in some years, the daughters remained hunkered on the sofa with a video game without looking up. In another instance the hostess was so busy in the kitchen she didn’t notice our knock at all. Someone finally found us at the door and let us in but then left us to meander through the house with no introductions or direction.

The most important part of the initial greeting is smiling eye contact. The eyes are the window of the heart. In welcoming adults that often means standing and coming forward for a hug or handshake, and in welcoming children, kneeling down to greet them face to face.

Much of the beauty expressed in hospitality is cultivated alone before God where He prepares us to see others as He sees them. He is ever drawing people to Himself and desires to use our submitted lives to invite them to know Him more. Most people really can detect God’s sweet, sincere welcome expressed through us in the first seconds on any occasion.

Practice hospitality (Rom. 12:13).

• As you enter your quiet time with the Lord, take a few minutes to rest in His welcome. Let Him enfold you in His love. He knew us before we were born. He loves for us to find our sustenance in Him.
• Ask the Lord to open Your eyes to really see and engage the person in front of you throughout the day. Jesus is so good at taking an opportunity to welcome people, and He is willing to teach us. I like to call this “intercept course.” Suddenly, our path crosses the path of another. We tend to think this is a random face-to-face, but the Lord has intentionally planned it.
• Whenever possible, use names in greeting. If you are like me, you might have to review or practice the names of new acquaintances. Then if culturally appropriate, offer your hand or give a quick hug in greeting. Everyone likes to be seen as an individual.
• Carefully note the expected time of your next guests’ arrival. Come out to welcome them before they exit their vehicle or have the door already open as they approach.
• If the person is spending the night, you could place a hand-written note on their bed along with a water bottle, a treat, a clean folded towel—or any personal items or little gifts you think would bless them. The note is the best gift as it speaks deeply and personally in a few lines of welcome. It is usually opened and read on entering the sleeping quarters, and sometimes read again or even tucked into the suitcase as a memento of the visit.
• If you have children in your life, include them in your family’s expression of hospitality. This takes training and encouragement, but truly, a child’s welcoming smile, welcome note, or whatever creative idea the Lord gives them to contribute, means a touch from Jesus to our guests—"and a little child will lead them” (Is. 11:6).

In the Scriptures for this day, we find that God anticipated the season of our birth and had a plan for our lives even before we were born. Watch Him as He welcomes people just like us.