Tuesday, 23 June 2009

• Humbling Hospitality by Laine

  My heart's desire is to have this kind of home. A home that is a refuge. A home that says WELCOME! I hope you enjoy Laine's Letter.

  Dear Sisters,
  As many of you know, we have been a home away from home to many Marines
  coming to visit with our Marine sons for the past two years. It is not
  uncommon for us to have three or four guys under our roof within a twenty
  to thirty minute cell phone call - if we get that! ~Smile~ On Mother's
  Day we had a new Marine visit us who said our home to him was like an
  oasis. I am so thankful. We also had three other kids visiting with us
  that day as well (who Abbie was watching) while their parents were in
  Hawaii. They loved celebrating with us as I know they were missing their
  own mom.
  Hospitality is very humbling.
  Why do I say that? Because so often it is not a "convenient" time to be
  hospitable. Entertaining, however, is something of a different nature.
  You set it up; you invite the chosen people; and then they come and enjoy
  what you have provided. You also set up the convenience based on your own
  timetable and pocketbook.
  
  Hospitality, however, is something of a different nature.
  
  Rather, the LORD sets it up.
  
  Take the other day for example. I was working in my kitchen when I heard
  a car drive up in my driveway. It was one of my friends with her
  daughter-in-law and grandbaby in tow. I didn't know they were coming, and
  my kitchen was a bit of a mess. I had two piles of laundry in the hallway
  ready to be washed. I hadn't cleaned my bathroom yet. But my living room
  was all "parlor" clean. So I escorted them into there and got them some
  cranberry juice in my fancy blue goblets. Then I went to the bathroom and
  quickly wiped it down in a two minute tidy in case they needed to use it.
  For the next two hours I sat and talked with them both, encouraging my
  friend's daughter-in-law as much as I could as she grapples with being a
  new mom in a new town.
  I am always surprised by hospitality.
  I am almost always humbled by hospitality.
  
  Why do I say that? Because I struggle just like every other woman who has
  an agenda for her day or her week, and yet finds herself instead helping
  someone else who needs encouragement and love in their day or their week.
  I know of no other way to do it than at Jesus' Feet focused on Him. He
  shows me the way. I am so very helpless without Him.
  But with Jesus, all things are possible!
  
  "Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of
  my lord." 1 Samuel 25:41
  
  Even when people invite themselves to our house to eat. In the past month
  I have had two families from our church ask to come over to our house for
  dinner. Art says that everyone wants to come to our house. But he says it
  with a big smile. My husband is the most hospitable man I know. He has
  taught me so much about having a hospitable heart - which I know he
  learned from his own wonderful, hospitable mother.
  
  For as Mama Tweten says, "Ven you have heart room, you have house room."
  And that was definitely Art's mom, Rachel. She had the heart of a Hearst
  castle in a two room home in East Los Angeles.
  
  Recently I became the receptor of sweet southern hospitality. Abbie and I
  flew to Nacogdoches, Texas to stay with my dear friend, Vicky. Vicky
  taught Abbie cake decorating while doing a four-tiered bride's cake and a
  groom's cake (that resembled a drum) for a wedding the weekend we were
  there. It was not a convenient time for Vicky to have two guests while
  putting together all those wedding cakes and teaching Abbie at the same
  time, but she did it with such love and grace that I will never forget.
  We had a fabulous six days. I came away incredibly renewed and refreshed
  to return to my own home and start working again focusing on my Savior.
  Abbie did, too. We both marveled at Vicky's refreshing of our spirits -
  which is the true meaning of hospitality - a virtual living encouragement
  from one to another in a miraculous sort of way.
  Hospitality is a slice of one's day or week that brings inner refreshment
  to the one serving and the one being served.
  It's really an amazing practice.
  
  While we were at Vicky's, we had the pleasure of being hospitable to one
  of the Marines who used to come to our house quite frequently last year.
  Andrew is out of the service now and drove two and a half hours to see
  Abbie and I in Nacogdoches. We had the privilege of taking him and
  Vicky's family out to dinner on Memorial Day. We were thrilled to have
  Andrew meet Vicky and her family, as we were thrilled to "serve" Andrew
  on Memorial Day. Andrew had been blown up ten times in the beginning of
  the Iraq war and is a bronze star medal holder.  We were so glad that God
  allowed us to be a comfort to him many weekends in a row after God led
  him miraculously to our family. He told us how much our home meant to him
  every week when he was able to come off base and stay with us, to hang
  out with our boys, to eat Abbie's pies and cakes, and to have deep
  conversations with Art in our kitchen. Hospitality often opens the door
  to more hospitality, as we have served our boys' friends, so those
  friends have brought more of their friends to our home.
  " Peter invited them in and lodged them." Acts 10:23
  
  "Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." 1 Peter 3:8-9
  
  I wish I could say that I never grumble when it comes to hospitality. And
  I am working on it. But just this past month I found myself grumbling.
  God sent a beautiful "Martha Stewart" to my door with only a 30 minute
  notice. I had four Marines over besides my own son. I had been to
  Martha's house a few times, and it is picture perfect inside and out.
  This was the first time she was coming to my house. Did I pray how I
  could be a help to her? No, I wish I could say that I did. Instead I went
  around the house like a whirlwind trying to tidy every room while
  grumbling to my husband on the side. Finally, I gave it up when I saw all
  the Marine gear and laundry drying around the fence outside my living
  room window and also strewn about my living room floor, my boys' bedroom,
  and even in the bathroom. Then I started laughing inside. Really
  laughing! By the time she arrived, I was almost giddy with joy at being
  able to serve her in the Marine-midst of it all. I thoroughly enjoyed her
  visit, and she ended up staying for lunch with us, which was even more
  impromtu than her visit. By the time she was leaving, I was so thankful
  God had sent her my way. I have so much to glean from her, and humbling
  hospitality once more opened the door.
  
  She had no sooner left than one of Gabe's friends arrived. His parents
  had recently divorced, and he needed to talk. I was pretty tired by this
  time, but I recognized he needed a listening ear. So Art and I sat in the
  kitchen and talked with him for over an hour encouraging him and feeding
  him. The Marines all headed back to base, and Art took Gabe and his
  friend into the living room to watch an old movie together while I tidied
  up.
  Hospitality is a humbling practice, but an incredible gift when you
  receive it or give it away.
  No wonder we're all supposed to share it with one another.
  
  It still never ceases to surprise me.
  
  Love,
  Laine
  

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