My love of Hospitality
Matt and I love to have company over to our home. There is something about gathering around the table and eating delicious food that breaks down barriers. On Tuesday nights, we host our small group. On Sunday afternoons, we either have Matt’s family or a family from church over for lunch. Sitting around the table with plates piled high with barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, cheesy carrots, salad, and bread, we get to know people and hear their stories. My inspiration for gathering around the table comes from Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes by Shauna Niequist. It’s so good!
Hearing People’s Stories
Recently, we had some people over to our home on a Sunday afternoon after church. We prayed for the meal, and everybody filled their plates with food and moved into the dining room to sit around the table. My husband Matt has an amazing ability to get people to tell their story. He started asking questions and got them talking.
What unfolded over the next few hours was a heartbreaking story. Sensing the need for privacy, I moved away from the table and into the living room, giving Matt and this person privacy.
I heard bits and pieces of the story, enough to break my heart. Matt spent hours just listening. He would ask questions here and there to keep the conversation going, but mostly he just listened. When they were done, Matt encouraged and loved on this person. We weren’t able to change anything in this dear family’s life, but we were able to simply listen and give them our compassion and love. In this case, it was enough.
They must have thanked us at least three times before leaving and said how much they enjoyed our time together and wanted to do it again.
A Small Verse with a Big Impact
This experience made me think of a verse found in the book of Jude. As the half-brother of Jesus, Jude gives us an interesting perspective to hear from. His book in the Bible is only 25 verses long. There is a short verse tucked inside this passage that can have an explosive impact.
“And of some have compassion, making a difference:” Jude 22 (KJV)
Of all the things Jude could tell us about the life of Jesus, he talks about having compassion. He understood that Jesus made the greatest impact on people simply by loving on them and listening to them. If we want to make an impact on someone’s life, we must show them that they matter to us.
5 Ways to Show Compassion this Week
In the midst of our busy lives, how can we find opportunities to show compassion on other people?
- Show a genuine interest in people. Ask questions; learn their story.
- Have someone over to your home for a meal or coffee and dessert.
- Meet someone for coffee and get to know their story.
- Make a meal for someone going through a hard time
- Send flowers or a card to let someone know you are thinking of them.
You might make the biggest difference in someone’s life this week simply because you took the time and made the effort to have compassion on them.