It may seem weird to write about hospitality when we are in the middle of this pandemic and are practicing social distance and staying at home. However, hospitality is not just inviting someone over to your home, but showing Christ’s love by making them feel relaxed and comfortable. It is this making people feel relaxed and comfortable that is the key to hospitality. This is a characteristic that is all too often lacking in online communication.
Those of us who have been in the professional world daily/hourly used email for business. Even in the educational world, email is used to communicate ideas and ways projects can be enacted and defining the roles people will play to finish a project successfully. Emails are used daily to advertise, much to the chagrin of many of us. They provide information for a particular product or article or program the sender wants you to buy. It’s business. This “business-information” language has become the tone for texts and messaging. Sure, you have the texting between friends that is full of emojis, but texting is superficial. Then we have the cyberbullies who don’t have a filter and feel it is their God-given right to write whatever comes to their minds without thought about how their words are ugly and hurtful. There is no hospitality in these types of writing.
What is Hospitality?
Dictionary.com defines hospitality as the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way. The Germans talk about gemütlichkeit which also defined by dictionary.com is a noun which means warm cordiality, comfortable friendliness; congeniality. Jesus talked about hospitality in Mathew 25:34-40
Then the King will say to those on His right, come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers or Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
To show hospitality, we must first look outward toward other’s needs. People are becoming anxious and frustrated concerning how their lives have been impeded during the pandemic. One of the quickest ways to stop anxiety and frustration is to look at the needs of others. Obviously we can’t physically feed, clothe and invite others into our home, but we can pray for them, invite them into our websites, FB pages, and other social media. We can text and facetime others to listen when another is feeling frustrated and let that person know we are here for him/her. We just need to get creative in our ways to show hospitality during this uncertain time. After COVID-19 is over, we can then make it a priority to physically show Christ’s love to all through hospitality.
How to Show Hospitality Online
During this time of isolation, or time when you have had way too much family time, it is so important to help each other with our mental states. How can we mentally help each other relax and be comfortable? Below is a list of things I came up with. Some things may work for you and your situation, while other won’t. Please help me help others by adding to the list. Make your suggestions in the comments box below this post.
1. Post music. I find music can lift you up, but it can also depress you. I choose Christian rock to help inspire. I also really like Celtic music. If you go to www.pandora.com, you can find both types of music, plus all genres of music to fit any taste.
2. Be an encourager.
3. Use the phone to actually call someone and talk. You can also facetime with friends and family.
4. Bake something, and since we don’t want to end up like those little baby sumo wrestlers on FB, put it on your neighbor’s doorstep. Go home and text them of the surprise.
5. Go down your list of contacts and text a positive note to everyone.
6. Send a notecard to friends and neighbors.
7. Use this downtime to study God’s word in-depth. This will not only help you, but God will give you opportunities to show you how He wants you to show hospitality and other spiritual gifts.
8. Order food from a home delivery service such as Grub Hub and have it delivered to a friend’s house.
9. If you have friends and family who are out of work at this time, help them with the process of searching for a new job.
10. Buy groceries for elderly neighbors so they don’t have to go out and risk exposure.
I hope that God will show His creativity to you in this weird time in life so that you may show His hospitality to all. Please, if you have more suggestions, write them in the comments below.
Photo credit: http://www.globaltieskc.org/home-hospitality
