I'm reading A Jewel In His Crown by Priscilla Shirer, and she perfectly brings this scripture to life. There is nothing wrong with being Martha...like her, I take pride in my home, and I love to have guests...I long to be so much more than an "entertainer". I want to be hospitable. And whether that's opening my doors to someone, or expressing love to someone who needs it, I want to be that for someone. A couple weeks ago we were wanting to get together with some friends, and one of the ladies said, "Jen, you're the only one who is ever always prepared for people to come over...if it's going to be at one of our houses, we have to have notice. You're always ready, though." Little did she know that this was the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me. I am so glad she feels like that~like I am always ready and available. That is what I strive for.
I do have a slight compulsion with my house...ask Todd and he will fill you in. I like things neat and tidy, and always keep them that way. Except for the boys' rooms, every other area in my house is usually orderly. I am a self procclaimed neat freak. This one particular night when our friends were coming over, I had not been at home all that week, and while my house was "picked up", there was dust on all the furniture. I laughingly told my friend that for the first time ever, she'd see dust on my furniture that night. She laughed and said she didn't care...she could stand it. These are not friends that I clean for...though they've never seen my house a mess, I just keep things clean. Remember me being a self procclaimed neat freak? That's where this comes into play.
In a Bible study last summer, called Apples Of Gold, I learned that being hospitable is actually biblical. In Romans 12:13, the Word says, "When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality." Scripture also says in 1 Peter 4:9 , "Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."
I want to always be known for having my heart and my home ready for whatever someone needs at that moment. I am a stay at home wife and mom, and for a long time, I was not happy in that role. Through that Bible study last summer, God shed some light on that subject for me...like the fact that He has placed me in this position, and to work at it with all my heart. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being home with my kids, but a lot of times I let the enemy talk me into thinking I was useless, or unable to do anything else. God showed me something different, though, and that is that I was created do this. I was created to be a homemaker. I may someday decide to do something else with my life, but for now, God has me exactly where He wants me.
Even in volunteering at the boys' school, He's opened up new doors for me to be able to minister to someone. In the health room, for instance, I've learned that a loving and gentle attitude can really make a child's day. So many kids come from crazy backgrounds, and don't receive any love in their home, and I can be that for them! I can praise them, or just be an ear for them to talk to. I can love like Jesus...in fact, everyday that I go to work in the health room, I ask Jesus to make me Him with skin on. Everyday, literally, every single day, God gives me an opportunity to be hospitable to someone. I just have to realize what that opportunity is once I see it, and the Holy Spirit keeps me sensitive to be able to do just that. I pray that you will find that today...the opportunity that God has placed before you to be able to love on someone. You never know who might need it.
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