It comforts hearts and meets needs. It helps build authentic relationships.  The Bible calls us to practice it, God uses it to make us more generous, and our kids learn it by watching us.

Hospitality.

Done in love, I’m convinced it’s one of the most powerful tools to cultivate deep friendships, care for others, and make your house feel more like home.

And yet we can feel overwhelmed by hospitality and mistake it for something it’s not: serving a fancy dinner and impressing others with our house/meal/kids’ behavior at mealtime.

Can hospitality include a fancy dinner? Of course.

But at its heart, real hospitality is simply inviting others into your home and life with a heart to love and serve them.

While I love prettying up my house and good food as much—or more than—the next person, hospitality is ultimately not about me or my home at all.

It’s about the other person.

It’s about reaching out to the new neighbor, the young married couple, the lonely college student, the foreign exchange student, the family going through a hard time.

It’s asking them questions, listening well, filling up their coffee cup, and holding their baby so mom can eat.

Truly, it can be very simple and no-fuss.

Here are some ideas toward that end.

Practicing Hospitality—Simply:

 

Get it on the calendar.

For me, if it’s not planned, it will rarely happen.

 

Make Easy Food

 Make a meal you’re familiar with and doesn’t require endless prep.  Or do a potluck.

Need ideas? Here are a few favorite meals I like to serve to bigger groups.

 

Order Food

Yes, serving pizza is still hospitality.

 

Just Do Dessert and Coffee

Dinner is fabulous, but not required. If dinner feels overwhelming, emotionally or financially, just serve drinks and a plate of homemade cookies.

Keep Décor to a Minimum

Think candles, good music, and maybe some flowers or branches in a mason jar.

 

Start Small

Inviting your neighbor over for coffee and cupcakes after the kids are in bed counts as hospitality. So does a play-date.

 

Think Beyond Mealtime

What activities do you and your family enjoy? You could invite girlfriends over for a night of crafting or an Anne of Green Gables marathon (do it; Anne is fantastic) or ask another family over to watch a football game together.

 

Pray

Before company arrives, I like to pray that people would feel welcomed and loved in my home and that God’s presence would be felt.

 

Accept Help

If someone offers to bring a side dish, say “yes, thank you.” If they offer to help you set the table, say “yes, thank you.” If they offer to help clean up… You get the idea.

Accepting help relieves burdens from the hostess, lets others experience the joy of serving, and reminds everyone involved that we all need help at times.

Cleaning for Company: Keep it Simple

 Often, hospitality feels overwhelming because of the high expectations we set for ourselves.

I enjoy a relatively neat home and think clean floors are more likely to bless others than ones covered in Megablocks, so I tidy up for company.

But I’m not shooting for perfection. And I think a little imperfection puts others at ease anyway. 

Here are my “quick-cleaning-for-company” rules of thumb:

*Focus only on the areas where company will be hanging out.

*A clean floor makes everything else look cleaner. Truth.

*Throw clutter in a basket or closet.

*Clear off the counters.

*Wipe surfaces.

*Candles cover a multitude of sins. Don’t they?

*Remember: people are coming to see you, not your perfectly neat home.

The more I host, the more I realize how cute or big or well-decorated my home is doesn’t matter as much as I might have thought—especially when people come over in the midst of imperfection and still seem to have a good time.

Keep it simple and focused on the heart of hospitality and I bet you’ll be likely to invite people in more often and find more joy in hosting.

 

About the guest blogger:

Jenn is the mother of two and wife to one. She enjoys painting furniture, filling her home with guests, and a good meal. Moving eleven times in eight years has taught her to plant roots and seek joy wherever she is.

You can find her and her (free) eBook The Homemaker’s Manifesto at A Simple Haven.