God Speaks Today, Literally, Part Four

Saturday, I received an invitation from Tammy Maltby to join her Facebook group called “Loving With Your Life: The Miracle of Hospitality.” Tammy Maltby is all about hospitality. It’s her passion and she’s great at it. For the record, I’m all for hospitality, too. I’m well aware the Bible tells us to practice hospitality. And over the years, I’ve done my share of being hospitable, pretty much. Sort of. When it’s convenient.

But over the last several months, mostly because of my busyness problem and my book proposal writing (and a little because of my selfishness–but only a little, ahem), hospitality has become a distant memory. An unattainable goal.

Actually, it’s not even fair to call it a goal. Hospitality pretty much dropped off my radar, completely. I have become totally distracted with other things. The other day, I tried to remember the last time I invited someone over to my house for dinner and to my complete and utter horror, realized it had been months. It was Memorial Day. May was the last time I invited someone into my home. Other than the guy who cleaned my carpets last week. Does he count?

Quite frankly, I’m not looking for more things to do. I’m actually trying to spend LESS time on the computer and LESS time committing to extra activities. I’ve got no time to read something new on Facebook or to invite people over. Or so I thought.

Imagine my surprise when all the God-like bells started ringing as I read Tammy’s invite. One of the main goals of this fast is to get some clarity from God as to where I’m supposed to be spending my time. Feeling stretched and frazzled is not God’s plan for me. I long to be in the center of His will, doing and being exactly what He desires of me. Nothing more, nothing less. So the God-like bells are something I’m really listening for.

While reading her insightful post, my heart leaped. I knew God was drawing me to open my heart, my home and my schedule to other people. To use the abundant resources He has given me–my beautiful home and my love of cooking–to bless others. To allow others to experience the peace and joy generated by a family devoted solely to God’s purpose.

On the way to church the next morning, I told my husband what I felt God saying to me. Jon loves people in our home, so he was like, “cool.”

(FYI, it’s always good to run the God bells past my husband. Because if he isn’t like “cool” with it, I go back and make sure I heard correctly.)

And just to make sure I didn’t mistake God’s voice for something else (which I have been known to do a time or a thousand), God made certain to clearly confirm it, without a doubt. All tied up in a shiny bow, and plopped on my lap in the form of a beautifully illustrated three-point, 45-minute sermon on the subject of–what else?–blessing other people.

I love when God does that.

So, while I’m still quite uncertain if we are supposed to move to a new house or stay in our existing one, I’m very certain that we must devote time and resources to entertaining and loving people in whatever home we live. I guess I always knew that…but I’m excited about it for the first time in a very long time.

Wanna come over for dinner?