Messy Hospitality

Messy Hospitality

Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

“I’M SO ANGRY AT YOU!” My son’s three-year-old voice reverberated through my house during a momentary lull in the adult conversation.

Aaron and I shared a glance before Aaron made a beeline for the gaggle of kids downstairs. I glanced around at the adults gathered in our living room, casting about for a way to revive the conversation as a slightly awkward silence descended momentarily.

Life is messy, and hospitality with children is oftentimes less than perfect. Add to that approximately fifteen people sharing a meal, and our house that afternoon could only be described as organized chaos. And yet, hospitality is the honest sharing of our lives, not the manufactured perfection we so often think is necessary, and I love it.

When my kids were young, my home was often filled with tiny princesses in flowing dresses darting between rooms and around visiting adults, boys shouting (mostly) in laughter as they played Sega racing games, and a poodle named Peanut hopping from lap to lap for quick snuggles.

We’ve lost the princesses and little boys’ voices, but you can still find adults loitering in our kitchen, hands wrapped around mugs of coffee, talking about jobs and kids and the ups and downs of life. You find brokenness and breakthroughs, sorrow and joy, triumph and struggle in the lives of those who gather.

Give me a house filled with imperfect people, with chaos, with shouts of laughter, with quiet tears spilled over hard things any day over elegant dinners and small talk.

Jesus is found in the midst of messy hospitality, when we are vulnerable enough to let others see our imperfection even as we strive to be women who love God and love others. He’s there when we are brave enough to admit that we are works in progress—that we don’t have it all figured out. He’s there when we invite others to walk alongside us without giving in to the temptation to put on our masks of perfection.

— Julie

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Consider who needs to be invited into the imperfect circles of your messy life. Don’t wait for a better time; invite that person now.