Jesus said, "If you give a cup of cold water to one of these, you give it unto Me:"
A cup of coffee, a glass of ice water, a sunny spot to sit and chat, this is hospitality. I have cared for a home for 37 years. While my home has not always been clean and neat it has always been open to all who wish to come in. When I go into another’s home and my hostess begins to make excuses for the mess and craziness, this is what I say, "I came to visit you, not your house".
Hospitality doesn’t mean you have to have fancy dishes or a dessert ready to whip out at a moments notice, or an immaculate home; it means caring enough to swallow your pride and say, “I’m glad you are here".
Friends sharing on a long cloudy afternoon, tears needing to be shed, laughter about shared situations that have happened and compassion shown for the problems of life we all have-- that's hospitality.
"You don't have to have a home of your own to show hospitality. A 6 year old can say, 'Would you like to go to the park with me? I have some cookies I can share". A teenager can say, "Would you like to go to the library with me and study? I'll bring some bottles of water",
Do you see something in these statements? It's a giving of oneself first; it's about things that last. Cookies and water are not the issue—it is caring for one another.
The world would have us think that everything has to be perfect before we can open our homes or ourselves. If we would reverse that and open our homes and ourselves first, maybe this world would be just a little more "perfect".