When November flips open on my calendar, I can’t help but immediately start to think about the smells and tastes of the season. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream, turkey, green beans, banana bread, pecan pie with milk, cranberry sauce….now I’m drooling!
Now, what I picture alongside the food is my family and friends. I’ve always had the opportunity to spend the holidays with my family except one year when I lived overseas. That year reminded me how wonderful hospitality truly is.
So this month, we want to encourage you to extend the hand of hospitality. Invite a friend or even someone you don’t know to share a meal with you.
Extending the hand of hospitality could take on many forms:
- Have a picnic in the park with friends (depending on the weather and where you live).
- Invite someone on a street corner to meet you at the nearest food establishment or bring them a meal.
- Share meaningful conversation with a friend over coffee or hot chocolate, either in your home or at a local coffee shop.
- Plan on making a double portion for Sunday lunch and invite another couple or family over. Maybe that could be a visitor from church or the new family who just placed membership or a family who is just visiting.
- Take dinner over to a friend’s house and surprise them with a home-cooked meal.
- Reach out to someone you have been estranged from.
- You could even invite a friend or an acquaintance for Thanksgiving dinner! If you live near a college, invite someone who can’t go home for the holiday. Or, if you live near a military base, invite a few soldiers over. College kids and soldiers always appreciate a home-cooked meal!
There are so many choices but one thing is for sure: sharing a meal means sharing our lives. So be blessed by the presence of others and your heart will be blessed also.
Who is the first person that came to mind while reading this?
That very well could be the Holy Spirit planting an idea. Now, find the time to reach out to that person and plan a time to share a meal together.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
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This is something I am working on. We rarely have people over, mostly because my husband tends to be uncomfortable with strangers.
haven’t even thought of that yet
Hospitality is a heart thing. Too often we think we can’t be hospitable because of our house or costs…but hospitality can happen anywhere. I love that you gave so many different ideas of hospitality. 🙂
http://unveiledandrevealed.com
Thank you, Brianna! My house sometimes stops me from having people over but I am really working on that…hospitality and perfection are not the same at all.
I have such a hard time reaching out to others, out of shyness or rejection fears! This is a great idea!
God is GREAT!
-Heather
Hospitality is my heart language! I love that the Lord has gifted me to serve others in this way! <3
Timely challenge! I just scheduled lunch next week with someone that I’ve been needing to invest some time in. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
Oh that’s wonderful! Lord we ask that you bless their lunchtime together!
[…] Extending the Hand of Hospitality: Simple Ways! […]
Love these tips about what hospitality can look like! I need to be better at offering hospitality to those around me and outside of my family!