the gift of hospitality: creating space for the guest

I love having friends come to visit...for one thing, it helps me clean up the house :), but it is also fun and refreshing to share life together for a few days. Last week we had our good friend Monica from Vancouver come and spend a couple days with us. It was great to see her, share what has been going on in our lives, drink coffee together, and do a little kayaking around Pender Harbour.

This week I'm looking forward to my friend Sarah's visit...we used to be neighbours in Buena Vista, Colorado and it's been a long time since we've seen each other. It was a joy when she got in touch recently and said she'd love to come for a visit for a few days!

This morning I was reading from a book called 'Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen.' It's a great little devotional book that is based on various writings from Nouwen. The reading today was called 'The Gift of Hospitality: Creating Space for the Guest' and it really spoke to me about the opportunity to share life together through hospitality. Here are some of the thoughts:

One of the most significant ways to serve others is to be present with them. Present not in a smothering or controlling way, but in providing a place of freedom. Such a place can be provided through the ministry of hospitality.

Nouwen points out that hospitality means "the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend." Hospitality is thus a gift we can give to the other person.

Hospitality does not necessarily mean doing something special for the guest or friend. It means being ourselves and allowing another into the rhythm of our family or community life. It means sharing a meal, providing a room. But more importantly, it means being willing both to share something of ourselves and of our life journey and being open to participate in those things that the guest or friend may share.

But hospitality is not only about sharing. It is also providing a free space, providing room where the guest can be still and at peace. Hospitality is not entertainment. It is not crowding the guest. It is a rhythm that allows for freedom and participation in which the guest can be enriched. In exercising such a ministry, we ourselves will also be enriched.

Today as I prepare for a guest to come, these are good words that make me think about more than just making sure the house is clean and tidy. How am I creating a space where guests and friends can be enriched and refreshed, where we can share our lives and our journeys together? I am thankful for the opportunites I have to share through hospitality, whether that is in our home, at work, or even in talking with strangers, neighbours, and friends on the street.