Feels Like Home To Me
It makes a big difference when people go out of their way to make people feel at home.
Reference: v.10 “Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” (TNIV Bible)
Explore: One of my favourite places in the world is the Philippines. From my visits to this beautiful country I have made some wonderful friends. Even though many of them suffer from the burdens of living in a developing country they are the happiest people in the world. Their smiles light up a room and their sense of humour will have you laughing for days. Each time I have gone to visit my friends there they have completely opened up their homes to me. They bend over backwards to over you hospitality, even to the point of giving you their own bedroom. A Filipino pastor who I have got to know and love spoke about building a room so that any time visitors came to stay they would be able to accommodate them properly while still giving them some space of their own.
Application: It makes a big difference when people go out of their way to make people feel at home. You don’t always have to spend money that you don’t have but it’s about sacrificing what you do have to offer hospitality. My pastor friend reminded me of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings. While she did not expect anything in return she went out of her way to make Elisha the prophet feel at home in her house. I know in my country Australia our houses are often very private dwellings. We have become very protective of our belongings and our personal space. However, I saw the blessing that both the Filipino pastor and the Shunammite woman received from opening up their homes to others and it makes me consider that maybe my home was not just designed for me alone.
Prayer: Lord, it’s lovely to have our own space and there are definitely times when I need to be alone. But Lord, help me to have a more hospitable heart and be willing to open my home to all I know. Amen.
How could you extend your hospitality?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.