Hospitality
September 17, 2012 | By: Cristiane Cardoso | Posted in: Behavior, Spiritual Growth
It’s great to feel at home wherever we go! Whether it’s a new place, a new home or someone else’s home… I love feeling right at home when I arrive. That happens when “hospitable people” live there. I insist on staying with people that are at ease with us too. When I consider the possibility of meeting with someone, I begin to investigate more about what that person likes to talk about, her interests, personal taste and projects… Even if they turn out to be very different from mine, I make an effort to hold a conversation with her interests in mind, and I never leave her talking by herself.
Hospitality is a mix of: good manners, kindness, loving your neighbor and giving. If we put all these together, two words can be used to define it: TO SERVE. This must begin in our own home then extend to everyone we know, and then those we don’t know but soon will because of our hospitality. There are people that we’ve never seen before, yet once we have the opportunity to meet them- it seems as if we were separated at birth. That’s precisely because they allow us the liberty to laugh or cry, to joke around or be serious, to speak or keep quiet; in other words, the best part of being hospitable is when the other person feels comfortable around you.
It’s wonderful when we find a person that is hospitable without any second intentions; she simply has the pleasure of meeting the need of that moment and she doesn’t measure her efforts. She doesn’t cross the line, and she always surprises you by foreseeing your needs. When I have guests at home, I use a simple thermometer that lets me know if they feel comfortable: I tend to observe if they place their feet on the couch, ottoman or center table. I always expect them to feel at ease, as though they were in their own home.
I learned not to wait for an opportunity to serve someone, but to create opportunities to serve by being hospitable. Never wait for someone to ask you for something, always be ready to offer something, give, meet other people’s needs with a simple smile, a direct conversation, a tight hug, a wonderful stay, a delicious meal, a gift, a nice surprise, a clean and scented bed, and so many other things; to the point that when the moment to bid farewell arrives, your guest must stop and say: “Oh my, I already miss you!”
Lucelaine Araújo
Cristiane Cardoso
Author of the books "Better than a new pair of shoes", "V woman" and "Casamento Blindado" (Bulletproof Marriage). Founder of "Godllywood" and "Rahab Project". Presenter of "The Love School" at Rede Record.
Hi Mrs. Cris
Thank you for sharing this blog.
Hospitality is one of a kind gesture that makes everyone love and admire us. And it is very important to always practice it because it is means serving others, even with simple things that we do if we do it with joy and love, it will means a lot.
Kisses!
im glad for this post and i want to put it to use, not only just at home but wherever i go, at work or church etc. recently i have started doing this, instead of waiting for somebody to ask me to do something, i offer my help. Putting other people before my own needs has also benefited me too, as i normally would feel as if i miss out on putting others first, but in fact i gain… which at first i thought would be impossible.
I totally agree with that post about hospitality.
I usually have people visiting regularly and I do
make them feel at home because that’s how I’ll
want to be if I’m at somebody else house.
By giving I have received so much more.
Those family members and friends are always
surprising me.
The little attention makes the difference.
X.
Thank you Mrs Chris for the message, after reading the message i find out, i’m lacking in hospitality as from now on i wil make sure that i create good memories with new people.
A bible verse that I have been meditating on is ”to give ismore blessed than recieving” and as soon as I read this I realised its not just in the ”big” things, but things like this, today I was with a friend, and she kept on talking and eventually I kept on ignoring her to a certain extent because I just didnt want to talk, I just wanted to sit on the bus and just think inside till I got to my desstination and I recieved what I wanted eventually (kinda) but I never gave my time to this friend, maybe if I spoke a bit more, and explained how I wanted to quiet time, maybe she would have understood, but I am 100% she didnt feel so comfortable around me. I def Learnt a lesson today.
Thank you
So true, Mrs Chris, being hospitable or welcoming is an art that we can perfect over time with practise. As you rightly say, the trick is not to wait for the oportunity but to create the opportunities. I like the fact that you can start small, like a hug, a greeting with a smile or a small gifts.
I enjoyed this.
Sue
Dear Mrs Cris,
It is amazing how small positive things we do for others can make a difference to those around us even though sometimes we don’t realise that our actions say so much about who we are.
Thank you for posting this nice article about hospitality. Our country is known for hospitable people. But we are giving a stronger foundation for this wonderful act when we practice hospitality with the desire to “serve” the needs of other people, just as God commanded us to love one another. -UCKG Philippines, Melody
Wow!
This is so true,i never thought of it from this perspective, I shouldnt wait for opportunities to serve someone but i should make the opportunities. I’ve also learnt that first this has to start at home, and then spread out to others. Thank you so much for posting this, because now i know what else i can do towards others and towards God!
xxx
Thank you Mrs Lucelaine. Being hospitable is a definitely a nice trait a woman should possess.
I am trying to learn how to be hospitable, I must say it is not easy, but very enjoyable. It causes me to think out of the box and use creativity…something I sometimes think I do not have.
It is always good to serve rather than be served.
Thanks Mrs Cardoso the bible teachs us to give and never expect anything in return because we are more bless when we give anything gift,smile,help,love anything thanks God bless you
Hi Miss you;”re right it always nice to feel welcomed so we must always make others feel the same…
Wow!!
Thank you for sharing this article with us Mrs Lucelaine.
And we should do this first than to expect someone else to do it to us.
To serve just like our Lord Jesus has done on His days in the world , to serve.
Thanks
Here I learnt how simply being approachable is a quality we must have, i learnt that through serving we have to be willing to give before being asked. I think this is a quality I need to work on more I never saw hospitality in this way, i like the idea of the hospitality thermometer.
Good afternoon Christiane,
This is such a valuable art, I think that we must do this much more, open our hearts and our homes and also for give me for being an old fart.
God bless, HelenXXX