ABOUT FROZEN FLIPFLOPS, CUPPACHINOS AND HOSPITALITY
This morning after I found my flipflops stiff frozen in the freezer I surprisingly knew I had a few answers on the heart of hospitality! Blessed with cold feet, I enquired from my daughters about this very strange incident. “I thought how nice it would be for you mommy to wear cold flipflops being so hot in summer.” my eight year old kindly said.
Putting mommy’s flip flops in the freezer spoke to me of a heart that wanted to bless, it was showing that she cares, that she was thinking how could she mean something and make it more comfortable for someone. But the best was seeing her contentment in blessing me!
What more than this is the heart of hospitality then? I might give it my best effort to make a great dish of lasagna and top it off with chocolate mousse for dessert. My guests might remember the meal a few years from now but I know they will remember the way I made them feel. Will they remember feeling welcomed, blessed, cared for, listened too, accepted and loved?
I really love people, talking and cooking. Now you would think that makes a good combination to be hospitable. Yes, I have had my moments, good and bad.
As a family we lived in a village in the heart of Central Asia without gas, electricity and even water at times. Now we live in a modern city at the edge of the Aegean Sea in pure comfort. These experiences has brought me along way in living out the gift of hospitality to my family, neighbors, team members and just people passing thru our home and back yard.
I have overdone hospitality and missed the heart of this beautiful gift many times, by being busy or even unwilling. I vividly remember the painful learning experience of a family coming to stay at our home for a weekend of rest. I really wanted to make them feel at home and make it as comfortable as I can. Afterwards they mentioned that they felt so uncomfortable with me “overdoing” it. Ouch! The Lord has used this incident to help me remember that it is a gift of service but also of love. Overdoing it and serving in my own strength is not hospitality, it is dead works. Thru the years I have learned to say no to people wanting to come over or stay at our home when it is not an appropriate time for our family.
I do try to make my guest beds ahead of time with a towel rolled up at the foot of the bed and a chocolate bar of some kind discretely placed to say: “You are special and welcome!” Yes you did read right “discretely” placed. I have caught my two year old with chocolate smeared all over his face and on the guest beds. I do try to make something extra if I know someone is coming for coffee or make sure I have a packet of cookies or a chocolate bar ready to break open into a plate. I have even put out a bowl of peanuts or raisins with a cup of tea.
I love cuppachinos and have found a way to make sky high milk froth ones with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar to the delight of my guests. But the best for me is sitting there sipping my cuppachino observing my guests and delighting in the joy of hospitality.
It does bring me great joy seeing my children blessing the street sweeper with a glass of cold Coke or the municipal worker with a glass of cold water. I do find it a challenge bringing my family alongside me getting ready for guests coming. My husband probably will go shopping with my grocery list and the girls often to my horror will be setting the table digging in the garden for rocks, leaves, flowers and sticks to decorate the table. But the satisfaction and excitement it brings to them, helping mommy with hospitality makes up for the few bugs I have caught crawling around on the table after these decorating sessions. . I always hope that my guests are blessed, my family encouraged but most of all God must be honored!
