I think a lot of Christians struggle with spiritual disciplines. Or at the very least, we don’t keep our spiritual discipline toolbox full enough. When I was growing up, it felt like most of the grownups around me emphasized the big three: Go to church, read your bible, and pray, and as much as I tried to make these a regular part of my life, there were days when i didn’t know how to connect with God, and when I looked into my spiritual toolbox, I only had a few tools and they didn’t always seem to fit the job. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation for each of these spiritual practices, but I’ve also become very aware that many Christ-followers, including myself at times, just aren’t aware of how many tools are at their disposal when it comes to opening their hearts to the father in whatever season they’re in.
There have been several spiritual practices that have brought a lot of growth and healing to my heart over the years: Sabbath, silence, solitude, listening prayer, breath prayer, talking to strangers, putting my phone away for extended periods of time, fasting, eating in culturally diverse areas of my city, worship, and other various practices. I feel like the list could go on and on. But the spiritual practice that we’ve pulled out of the toolbox this month has really resonated deeply with me while, at the same time, being really difficult for me…hospitality.
Hospitality falls into a category, in the above list, of disciplines that I used to not think of as spiritual disciplines. I used to think of hospitality simply as a spiritual gift. I know people who are definitely gifted in hospitality. They know how to create spaces in their home where people will feel safe and welcomed, they can cook incredible meals and they love hosting people around a big dinner table, and they know how to throw a party that everyone wants to come to. When I see christians putting their gift of hospitality into practice, it produces some of the most beautiful expressions of the gospel that I’ve ever seen. Hospitality done well has a unique way of painting a picture of a kingdom where people of all walks of life can share a common table, simply because they’re all loved by God.
I love the picture that christian hospitality paints, but I can be really bad at it. I love people, but I also really like my alone time. I don’t naturally look at a room in my house and imagine how I can create a space that people want to be in. I like to fill my days with small groups of people who energize me, and so often hospitality requires that you broaden your circle and find ways to welcome in people you might not normally interact with. I’m a people person, but I’m also an introvert, so sometimes creating more space in my life for more people feels draining. So sometimes hospitality becomes a discipline. It’s something that I practice, over and over again, knowing that it’s blessing others and that it’s shaping me. Hospitality is about welcoming others into your space and your time and then realizing that neither of those things were ever really yours to begin with. We need each other, and the practice of hospitality proclaims that to us over and over again as we find ourselves connecting with people we might have never thought we would.
During our month here in Indonesia our team decided to focus heavily on hospitality. We chose to be located in Jakarta for a good portion of the month, so that we could meet locals, invite them to our Airbnb, eat meals, have conversations, and share life. When we decided on this as our focus for the month, I was incredibly energized. Like I said, I love the idea of hospitality, and I knew that we were going to have the opportunity to sit around a dinner table with new friends, hear stories, share beliefs, and invite people into our lives over the course of a couple of weeks. I also knew that putting it into practice would require me to give up some of the me-time and personal space that I covet.
The introvert in me was exhausted by the end of this month, but man…it was such a good month, and I loved getting to meet our new friends. Some nights we would cook, and on other nights everyone would bring a dish. On several occasions our apartment would be filled with 15-20 new friends. Sometimes we would go on adventures in the city, or play soccer in the park, but often we would just spend time in our Airbnb. It’s amazing how quickly friendships can form when you find ways to open up your life and your heart to others. We’ve made friends here that we’ll remember forever, and we’ve had so many opportunities to talk about joys and sorrows, how deeply connected we are as humans, and about Jesus. It’s been so great…and almost none if it came naturally to me. But so often it’s the things that come least naturally to us that God uses to create something new in our hearts.
We need spiritual disciplines because they open our hearts up to receiving something from the Lord that we desperately need, and that those who we interact with need for us to receive. Practicing intentional hospitality, as a Christ-follower, makes me a better version of myself for me and for those around me.
Over the next couple of days I’ll lean more into some of the solitary disciplines, and let God speak to me there, but I’m so glad that our group has had the opportunity to experience God through hospitality. I know I’m better for it, and I can’t imagine my World Race experience without these wonderful people in it. I’m so thankful that we serve a God who loves us enough to never leave us where we are.
See you in Africa…
