A Secret Mentor

A Secret Mentor

Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

“Oh, it’s the UPS man, Pete!” my friend Christa exclaimed as she peeked out the window and down the long driveway. It was dinnertime, and she had a houseful of guests laughing and catching up over pizza. She flung open the door, greeted Pete as though he were an old friend, and invited him in for a slice of pizza. To my astonishment, Pete was at the end of his route, so he shucked his shoes at the door and came in for a quick slice.

That’s Christa. Always welcoming, always inviting, always making room for someone else around her table, in her house, in her life. Is Christa perfect? Of course not, and she’d never claim to be. But I watch the way she invites others in, including them in her circles. I watch her because she’s really good at it, and I want to emulate her in the way I live my life. I view her as a hospitality mentor, even if I never tell her so directly for fear that it would make her self-conscious.

Christa isn’t the only one. There are several women in my life whom I secretly view as a mentor in one area or another. I love picking up new ways of welcoming others from the women around me because they have skill sets and experiences different from my own, and they inspire me in their creativity.

Because I want to be more hospitable, more inclusive of those standing on the edges, I draw close to women who are already skilled in these areas, who are already doing it, and learn from them. Being hospitable is a skill set that can be learned, and while I can’t replicate Christa’s natural giftedness in this area, I’ll develop my own, and God will use my unique style of hospitality for his purposes and his glory.

— Julie

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Find some hospitality mentors and draw near to them, looking for ideas you can use.