Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
And do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because

God has said, 

“Never will I leave you;
          never will I forsake you.”

 So we say with confidence, 

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
 What can mere mortals do to me?”

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:1-2, 5-6, 16 NIV [Emphasis added.]

 

Why is it so easy to forget to be hospitable? It seems the writer of Hebrews is clearly concerned about that possibility, because they repeat the exhortation twice in the closing chapter of the letter. The admonishments create bookends of the message that not only proves we should pay attention to the reminder; but that our eyes should be focused then, at the center message: God is with us, gives us all we need, helps us; therefore, we need not fear. So what are we so afraid of!?

 I’m afraid to be hospitable. My lack of hospitality is not based in negligence, it’s based in a deep-rooted fear of being rejected, trapped and tapped out. I’ve forgotten Him.

 How is it that I am sometimes the least friendly on a walk through my neighborhood, indifferent to the passenger sitting next to me on a plane, and immediately shifting in my shoes when a customer in front of me in a grocery line strikes up a conversation? I am confident that by the simple act of making eye contact, saying hello, offering a moment of my time, I might be unwittingly setting myself up for an overcommitment. What if that neighbor wants to be friends and it goes badly.  I can’t afford to move! What if the passenger next to me doesn’t stop talking and I have 3.5 hours of chatter instead of my nap or settling into my newly purchased book? What if that customer ends up asking me for help to pay for their groceries and needs help to their car? What if my boundaries are tested or overwhelmed?

 That can’t be right. Right? I’m a “nice” person. I love Jesus and others like I’m told. Right?

 If we want to show hospitality to strangers, angels, and some who might set off all of our “absolutely not!” indicators, we have to be reminded that we are not doing this life alone, we have God. We have a Helper. We have Immanuel, and He has a different kingdom than our own. He instructs us to be content and confident, to do good and give sacrificially. We have Him as we navigate our limits and fears of hospitality.

 I wonder what this week would look like if we made a choice to remember? What if we remembered that we have all we need, so we may surrender a smile, a helping hand, or a sacrificial act of kindness? Let’s be content in what we have, confident in His presence and provision and remember to show hospitality.


by Kris Thulson