Over the past year and a half, Max Lucado has shared extensively about living a life where we are “anxious for nothing” and we rely on the “unshakable hope” of God’s promises.
In the wake of yet another shooting, there is no better time to be reminded of these truths.
Max wrote a blog post called “Healing at the Table,” in response to the tumultuous times in which we live. He says:
What are we to do? We feel like locking our doors and never entering society again.
But it is time for us to do just the opposite. It’s time for us to reach out to one another, to open our doors, sit down at our tables and talk. It’s no accident that hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word, for they both lead to the same result: healing. When you open your door to someone, you are sending this message: “You matter.”
Do you know people who need this message? Singles who eat alone? Young couples who are far from home? Co-workers who’ve been transferred, teens who feel left out, and seniors who no longer drive? Some people pass an entire day with no meaningful contact with anyone else. Your hospitality can be their hospital. All you need are a few basic practices.
Then he outlines what those practices are. As I read, I realized the suggestions (things like, “Issue a genuine invitation” … “Address the needs of your guests” … and “Send them out with a blessing”) are not hard to do. But they are unusual for many.
My life is full, and can easily become busy and frantic; but when I stop to see what I can do for others, not only does it meet a felt need for them—but it does for my own soul, as well.
Max encourages us:
The event need not be elaborate to be significant. You think the living room is a mess, but to the person whose life is a mess, your house is a sanctuary. You think the meal is simple, but to those who eat alone every night, pork and beans on paper plates tastes like filet mignon. What is small to you is huge to them.
What can we do this week to open our tables, homes, and hearts? It’s a question I’m asking myself.
