Open Heart, Open Home

We were blessed with many great books this Christmas. Most of our family loves to read, and they find some really amazing reading material. My grandma gave me a book called Open Heart Open Home:The Hospitable Way to Make Others Feel Welcome & Wanted by Karen Mains.

I started reading it this morning at the gym. I am a person that tends to put chores and tasks before people. I have improved in this area, but it is still a struggle in my life. She recounted a time when her children were young. They were having a slow morning where she let them play and she sat on the couch and read a book. Well, we who have children know what happens when you sit on the couch and the kids “play.” Her house was a mess. Someone from church knocked on the door. She was horrified at the thought of letting someone into her messy house. However, she remembered her parents’ philosophy-hospitality before pried. She opened the door to the lady, and let her in without making apologies for her messy home and enjoyed the lady’s company. After their visit, the guest commented “I used to think you were perfect, but now I think we can be friends.” Powerful! Here are some other quotes that really stood out to me:

“True hospitality comes before pride.”

“Visitors may be more than guests in our home. If they’d life they may be friends.”

“When we planned and evening of dinner and fellowship, my husband began to ask guests to contribute to the meal…It was no longer important for me to do everything in order for the occasion to be a success. I had four children to raise, a God to know, words to share, wounds to heal. Because I put away my pride, lovely things occurred. People discovered they could be hospitable to me.”

May I be a person who puts people and hospitality before my pride!