About a month or so ago I found a podcast called “HomeWise.”
I stopped wasting an excessive amount of time on Youtube and Netflix long ago;
I wanted to find something that was beneficial but required less energy than
reading (at least for me. I’m a slow reader and my mind often wanders to other
things). Finding a good podcast proved to be harder than I imagined. I wanted
something that interested me and was trustworthy, not total heresy. I tried
this one on Christian marriage and parenting, turned out to be super sketch.
Anyway, I eventually found HomeWise. It’s a fantastic podcast by a husband and
wife, discussing a large variety of topics concerning marriage, parenting, and
homemaking. For any of my girl friends out there (I guess guys too maybe?) I
highly recommend looking through the topics and giving it a listen.
One of the most recent episodes I listened to was on
hospitality. The main thing that stuck with me was a mistake woman often make
in their view of hospitality. It’s most common for mothers (because mess,
because children) to overthink the state of their house when guests are coming.
Well, obviously most people do not want their house to be a pigsty when they
are having people over. What I mean is beyond that. It can be easy to get swept
away with the desire to have everything perfect. Perfection is not required for
hospitality. Christian hospitality is sharing your life with others, not
creating a false image of your life every Sunday afternoon. Barbra, we all know
you don’t make your kids stay in their church clothes every afternoon. We know
you don’t use your nice china or have every single inch of your kitchen
spotless each day. We know accidents happen, laundry doesn’t always get put
away, and food sometimes gets burned.
I think it still sounds like I’m harking on a clean house.
That’s not the issue, I love a clean house. The issue is people focusing so
much on creating perfection that they lose sight of the purpose of hospitality.
While tidying up is nice, what is more important is extending your love and
life to others, complete with the brokenness that we all share.
