Do You Have a Hospitality Mindset?
Do You Have a Hospitality Mindset?
Over the last two years, I have explored practicing hospitality while serving in college ministry. While reading the Bible, I couldn’t help but see Jesus' hospitality throughout the first four books of the New Testament.
Even though I wasn’t a gifted cook and had very little money, I decided to be hospitable to others. I invited college students to play games, watch movies, eat a free meal, do homework, make cookies, and prepare for formal dances! These moments led to eye-opening conversations about following Jesus for some students and a feeling of acceptance for others. Before I decided to practice hospitality as a college student, I made excuses not to sacrifice my time or energy. I thought I had to wait to be hospitable after I was a homeowner or after I acquired a stable income. However, I found unexpected blessings and purposefulness in using the small dorm room spaces I was provided to honor God and love others - especially those near to me but far from Jesus!
When I began looking at Jesus’ example of hospitality, I noticed that He didn’t necessarily have a home to call His own or a stable job. In Luke 10, Jesus gives His disciples instructions for the journey they are embarking on. They go from place to place, asking if persons of peace will let them stay. Yet, he still lived with a hospitable mindset. Jesus went to the sick and healed them, welcomed the excluded, and helped the needy. His hospitality looked like using the resources He had to create a welcoming and healing environment for His neighbors. Although He didn’t have a home to welcome others into, his ministry relied on others' hospitality. Not to mention, Jesus invited others into His life who were “least likely” to be around Him. He sat with sinners, initiated conversations with people different than Him, and shared the truth with grace. Jesus's hospitality mindset went far beyond opening the doors of a home. He made his life a way to show hospitality to others.
Considering the stories of a recent college graduate and Jesus’ life in the New Testament, there may be ways you desire to respond by practicing hospitality.
The Implications:
- Do I need to open up my home to be hospitable to others?
- Is there a family or individual who is different from me that I need to show hospitality to by opening up my space to others?
- How can I practice hospitality more often than I currently practice hospitality?
