Ways To Be Known for Hospitality.
Ways to be known for hospitality.
Every person is known for something. For instance, I am known as George Ross’ daughter, Gregg McMullen’s wife, Jordan and Ryne’s mother & Zuri’s Granna. These are the ways I am known. My hope and prayer are that I am known for more than just these identities. Not that any of them are bad identities, but I want to make sure I am known for something that impacts others that are not always in my inner circle.
Southern Hospitality is always what people think of when someone is marked as having the gift of hospitality. That sugary vocabulary of Honey, Sweetie, Sugar, or the tone that soothes the ears and let’s not forget the picture in their minds of a sparkling clean home and a pound cake freshly baked. Which all of these are marks of hospitality but it is not how hospitality has to be defined.
Here are a few ways to be known for hospitality.
Share a little Kindness
Kindness is an act of hospitality. You can be known for your hospitality just by being kind to others. Kindness is an action. It is simply going out of your way to say hello to someone or giving up / interrupting something you are doing to be kind to another. Being kind is an act that is putting others first before yourself.
Go out of your way to show kindness. Maybe you know of a family that has found out of an illness or just had a new baby that doesn’t have family in town. Be that person that stands in the gap and show some kindness by showing up.
Serving Others
Serving others is an act of hospitality. It is like kindness but intentional in most cases. There are needs all around you. It is just a matter of you taking the time and recognizing them and realizing you are called to serve. Putting your self in the path of others and meeting a need is hospitality. This simply looks like, inviting a young mother over for a cup of tea and help her take care of her little ones for a little while encouraging the mom to keep pressing forward. Or it could be showing up at rest home and just sitting and talking with the residents for a while.
Serving others could even look like opening your home for a season to a young lady or young man that needs a place to live while figuring life out. This is a great way to be known for hospitality.
Mark 10:45 is my husband’s life verse and I try to live it out with him.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Spoken words
Who would ever think that the spoken word could be a way to be known for hospitality? It is true. Your spoken, and even more impactful, your written words are a trait of hospitality. Words are life-changing, impactful and stay with a person for days, years and even a lifetime.
“Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.” Anonymous
Spend time thinking about how you can encourage others simply by sharing a word of encouragement by a phone call, visit or a sweet little handwritten card.
These few ways to be known for hospitality are really just simple actions that you have to make a choice to do. I have always heard if you do some 7 times, it becomes a habit. Let’s make one of these a habit. You can do it. Get a friend to keep you accountable.
I look forward to hearing how you have added Hospitality to your identity.
Be sure to leave a comment below and share how you have expressed hospitality this week.
