Holding back hospitality

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:13

There are dozens and dozens of Bible verses that let me know how important it is to show hospitality.  So...why don't I do it more often?  What holds me back?

These questions have been nagging me lately.  I really do love having people over.  I love having our home filled with good conversation, shared laughter, shared tears, the smell of food, the warm glow of that feeling of belonging that lingers long after guests leave.  What I don't love is the part that comes before...  This is the part where my ego and my fear start stirring and telling my heart lies.  They whisper things like, "Your house isn't nice enough."  "Your floors are dirty."  "You live too far out of town.  No one will come."  I know perfectly well these are lies, but I listen to them anyway.  My heart would have people over every day of the week.  My ego and fears hold me back.  I'm working on that.  

Some of the best hospitality I've ever received was sitting on a couch in a dirt floor hut eating a bit of bread with a beautiful lady my family is now blessed to call our granny.  I know offering hospitality isn't about my house or floor or the food I may serve.  I know it's about people.  

My purpose for this blog is to slap my ego and fear and lead more with my heart.  I want to be a home that is welcoming and hospitable to all!  I hope that by facing the different stumbling blocks I encounter while on this journey, I'll be able to find solutions that may work for you, too.  I hope you'll jump in with ideas and tips that have worked for you.  So...come on in!  You're always welcome here.