Welcoming Others into Our Castle Walls

Author: Lisa Vaught

Acts 16:15—If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.

“A man’s home is his castle.” Although this is an old adage, we still find evidence of its belief in today’s society. We like being the rulers of our own homes. What happens behind closed doors is our business. We drive the car into the garage and shut the door. We can take off our shoes, let down our hair, put on our lounging clothes, and kick back to relax. We can forget the make-up, forget the shaving, and even forget the shower until our family starts complaining about the smell. Hey, we can even eat with our fingers if we want to because we are home.

So, opening our homes upsets the natural way we live. Our routines and organization get disrupted. Plus, when people come into our homes, we open the door for scrutiny. People might discover we don’t keep a spotless house – our floors get sticky from spilled milk (or coffee at the Vaught house), laundry and dishes pile up sometimes, and our family has disagreements, too. However, opening our homes can benefit both those we welcome in and those living inside our own walls.

When the apostle Paul was ministering in Philippi, he found Lydia with a group of women and began to share the good news of Jesus. It is there that Lydia surrenders her heart and life to Jesus. Then Lydia opened her home as a place for the traveling missionaries to stay.

Going to Lydia’s home provided not only a place of rest and recharge for the missionaries but also a place where life-changing relationships could occur. Gathering around the table for meals and sitting around in the evenings having discussions provided opportunities to share the good news of Jesus. All of Lydia’s household were saved. Scholars believe that it wasn’t just her family but also all those who worked for her in her thriving purple dye business.

The more the people gathered, the more comfortable they would have felt in encouraging one another during the chaos of life, and the stronger they would have all grown in their faith. It became a normal way of life rather than isolating themselves in their own homes.

When Paul and his fellow missionary Silas were arrested for preaching about Jesus, Lydia’s group gathered, probably distraught, trying to make sense of the bad situation. Where did Paul and Silas go after their miraculous release? Right back to Lydia’s house to encourage the others.

Lydia’s home was a gathering place for doing life together where people grew in their faith and found encouragement from one another. What an example for us! Once Lydia became a Christian, she knew her home was more than a castle to hide away in. Instead, her home was a place for gathering to do life together. May we all let down the gates of our castles to help our own families and those around us grow in faith, just as Lydia did.

Reflection

What hinders you from opening your doors to others, and how can you overcome this castle barrier?