~Hospitality and ministry....for a long time after I came to know the Lord, I thought I should have this big "ministry"...after all, seemed every Christian that I met had one, and shouldn't I? I have since came to realize that my gifts and "ministry" start in my home. First, I am to be a helper to my husband. This encompasses loving him, supporting him, encouraging him, serving him and of course, helping him as we share a life together. Second, my children....I am to lovingly bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, teaching and training them at home.
But, one thing that the Lord impressed on me early on is that I am to show hospitality in our home...no matter what state it is in. If anyone is coming to my home to see a 'show place' or a spotless home, then they will be disappointed. But, if they are coming to be welcomed, loved and to spend time with us...then they are exceedingly welcome!
We welcome our extended family on both sides as often as they will come over. We have quite a bit of them, and we love them dearly....and dearly love to show Christ's love to them. The past week has included quite a few family members here...loving, laughing and making memories. No, our home hasn't been perfect (LOL), but our times together have been priceless! We have quite a few more family get-togethers coming up in the next few weeks that we are looking forward to. I hope my children always remember that God comes first, and family second....everything else can get in line! LOL ~Sue~
My youngest sister, Pam and her friend Frank, came for dinner and a visit on Sunday. It was so nice as we don't get to see them as often as we would like. She even had a blast on the tire swing! Our next get together will be her 40th birthday coming up soon!
A lot of wiffle ball was played...my dad is the favorite pitcher.
When I was a little girl, I think he wanted me to be a boy, and taught me to bat righty and lefty, play short stop and spiral a football with the best of them...now he is teaching the grandchildren.
We've also been watching my nephew, Ty, for 2 days while his parents are out of town. My mom and step-dad came over yesterday for the day and dinner. My wonderful step-dad, commonly known around here as Buppy, turned 73 so we had a special dinner for him of sauerbraten, spaetzle and slaw. As they were 'snow birds' in Florida all winter it was a treat to spend time with them.
3 comments:
Sue how sweet, spending time with the ones we love and not worrying about anything except the time we can share with them when they are in our home..Everyone looks so good, it's nice to see them. Thanks for the posting. Love you my dear friend.
Jolyn
Sue, I love this post. Your parents are so adorable! I love your step-dad's name, Buppy. That's so cute!
I learned about biblical hospitality years ago after being so frantic about having everything in place all the time. It took me a while to learn the real lesson of the heart of it. Once I had it figured out, I gradually moved toward orderliness as an expression of hospitality, as well. I liked creating a neat, attractive, welcoming environment free of clutter and chaos. However, I again learned an important lesson when a particular couple came to visit. I had it all planned perfectly, and everything started to fall apart just minutes before they arrived. They even came to the wrong door, where one of the children had left a dirty mess that had to be navigated. Later, my friend expressed her relief at arriving to find that all wasn't perfect, because she had been nervous about the visit, considering some of her own challenges. Our God knows!!
Sue, you are the MOST hospitable person that I know! I love visiting your home. The most important aspect of your home is that as soon as I walk in, I feel the presense of the Lord there. When the Lord is so welcomed as He is in your home, fellow Christians can't help but feel welcomed and rested and, yes, loved! This has also spilled over to how hospitable you are and have taught your girls to be when you all visited in my home --- you all made me feel even more comfortable in my own kitchen! lol You are such a good example for me!
Stephanie
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