I was recently given the book Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock and I it has really opened my eyes to a biblical perspective of hospitality.  I have found it to be both extremely practical and also feeding(and sometimes convicting) to my soul.  There are many things that I am learning from it, but one that I have really taken away from it is remembering to pray before, during and after we have people to our home.  I have to admit that most of the time when we entertain in the days (and especially) in the minutes preceding guests arrival prayer has not been on my list of things to do and it really needs to be! 

From the book:

PRAY BEFORE I EXTEND HOSPITALITY BECAUSE I

• should have a sincere heart when I extend the invitation(Phil 1:10)
• know that for the event to bring glory to my heavenly Father, I must have His strength(Phil 4:13)
• want to have a heart that submit to my heavenly Father's instructions(Rom. 12:13b)
• need to approach any opportunity to minister with a "hearty attitude" (Col 3:23)
• have a desire to wear "the garment of humiity" to the occasion (1 Pet 5:5)
• desire to have a gracious spirit in the midst of unforeseeable circumstances( Prov 11:16)
• wish to glean from the wisdom of my guests (Prov 1:5)
• seek genuinely to meet the needs of my guests( 1 John 3:17)
• long for my extension of hospitality to have far-reaching implications(Heb 13:2)
• need to be excited about allowing others to catch a glimpse of my character where it is most graphically displayed - in my home - especially if I am in a position of leadership (1 Tim 3:1-2; Titus 1:7-8)
• desire to stimulate conversations that are edifying (Rom 15:1-2) and encouraging (1 Thess 5:11) to my guests

I have realized that this translates into my day with my children as well.  As we make each transition during the day, am I taking the moment to ask God's blessing upon it? Change my heart/mood towards this child? For graciousness and patience? Realize that interruptions were allowed by God to make me more like Christ? Etc, etc.

I also loved the chapter on Hospitality and Family as it really convicted me to "treat my family as good as guests".  We extend hospitality to them too and model it when we show love to them through it.  Do my children see a different person in the moments preceding the guests' arrival than they see two moments AFTER my guests' arrival?  Do I show more kindness toward strangers than I do to my own family members?  I occasionally wonder what kind of mother I would be if I treated my children in the way I treat children who visit our home or children I might minister to at church. OUCH!  Areas to grow...

If you are looking to grow in this area and see that Hospitality is not all about serving some gourmet foods and bringing out your china, I highly recommend it.  There are some great recipes too!

Blessings!

-J