How To Avoid Prideful Hospitality -

It’s easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget about the guests that we have in our homes. But, if we remember these few things how to avoid prideful hospitality and be more focused on making sure our guests feel comfortable and welcome. And isn’t that what being hospitable is all about? Welcoming others into our homes and hearts?

“Don’t try to look better than you are.” Proverb 27:2. This is a phrase that should be considered when hosting guests in your home. Prideful hospitality can happen in many different ways, and often times it is not intentional. Below we will discuss some of the most common mistakes people make when hosting guests and how to avoid them.

Do you want to be hospitable? If so, then there are a few things that you should avoid.

Prideful Hospitality Pitfalls

Don’t try to make it seem like your home or food is more extravagant than it really is. Cook foods that are comfort foods. Don’t try out a new recipe to impress, just be yourself.
Don’t try to look better than you are. Focus on the guest, not on yourself.
Don’t talk about your big plans for the future or what you have done in the past while hosting guests. Save that for another time.
Ask questions about your guest- their family, job, hobbies, etc. This will help to make them feel more comfortable and at home.
Listen to the guest and ask questions about your guest. Don’t talk about how big of a family you have or what all of your plans were for that day, week, etc. It’s very important not only during the initial greeting but throughout their entire stay as well that we are hospitable.
Say thank you for the compliment, but don’t go on about how much work went into what they said was good.
Avoid is talking about your family’s big vacation plans while hosting a group of people in your home. Be sensitive to your guest and their financial situations.

How to avoid prideful hospitality is to stay focused on the guests that are in your home. Be attentive to their needs and make them feel comfortable. Don’t try to show off or make it seem like you are better than you really are. Guests will be able to tell if you’re being fake, and no one wants to feel uncomfortable while they’re trying

Conversation Starter Questions

What is your favorite place to travel to?
Do you have any siblings?
How did you meet your spouse/significant other?
What do you do for a living?

These are all great conversation starters that will help make your guests feel more comfortable. Just be yourself, and enjoy getting to know them!

How to correct a bad conversation

If you find that the conversation is going in a bad direction, try to steer it back on track. There are a few things that you can do:

Change the subject
Ask follow-up questions
Make a comment about a current event happening in your city. Try to talk about a positive event.
If all else fails, try to end the conversation gracefully.
Thank your guests for coming over and excuse yourself from the conversation. Say something like, “I’m sorry but I need to check on dinner.” This will allow some time for the conversation to reset.