love in real life.
November 2nd, 2010 § Leave a Comment
So, lately, I’ve been really thinking about community, church and loving people. Specifically, not just saying you love them, but acting on it in a way that makes Christ in you irresistable to others.
In short, hospitality.
I believe that hospitality is every Christian’s responsiblity. As Bruce’s wife, I have a lot more time and energy to plan ways for us to intentionally practice hospitality every day. That being said, Bruce is a generous and compassionate person, but not always the overly nurturing type. His idea of practicing love is to point out that we need to do something to take care of a particular person… and then saying, “But I don’t know what to do about them. What do you think?”
It’s gotten to the point where I don’t feel as though we’re actively practicing love and hospitality nearly enough. So I decided to (of course) scour the internet for ideas on how to express Christs love to believers and non-believers alike.
1) Dinner! Food is the way to more than just a man’s heart. Sharing a meal is love on a plate.
2) Party! Celebrating life with one or more other people is a way to share life with others and include them.
3) Care-gifts! Giving someone something they need when they need it shows people you’re paying attention to what’s going on in their life. (diapers for new parents, toys for a struggling family, Granola bars for the homeless, any real food for college students, practical household supplies for young marrieds, etc)
4) Acts of service. Sometimes your time and effort are more helpful than your money (direct or indirect). (Meals for an overwhelmed family, rideshare for someone without transit, household help for someone incapacitated, babysitting for young families, etc)
As a side note, Bruce and I almost ALWAYS use the chaotic/poorly furnished state of our home as an excuse for not exercising hosptitality. Looking for hospitality ideas, I came across this advice (which I promptly stole from the girltalk blog).
Here are some gems of cleaning advice I’ve learned from Titus 2 ladies in my church:
1. “What you can’t see from a galloping horse, don’t worry about.”
2. “If you’re coming to see me, come right over; if you’re coming to see my house, you’ll need to make an appointment.”
Well, there goes THAT excuse. Hahahaha.
