As a little girl, I always wanted to have a guest room so people could come and stay with us. From extended family to exchange students to friends sleeping over, I had great ideas of how a guest room could be used. Unfortunately our house was too small (or our family was too big!), and we never did have that guest room...
Until now. I've been thinking about how many guests we've housed since we moved to South Africa. We've hosted people from Denmark, the U.S., Swaziland, England, Mozambique and yes, South Africa. There were times when I was tired, not feeling well, didn't want to prepare the guest bedroom, but then I was reminded of my dream as a little girl.
Funny how when we're children, we see the positive side of everything but then when we grow up, we see the negatives and challenges much more readily than the possibilities and potential. A friend once said to us, "If you have the choice between being relational or staying home and reading a book, choose to be relational. It's almost always the better choice." At the time I wasn't so sure I agreed with him, but looking back, I think there is value in what he said.
While it hasn't always been easy or convenient to house extra people, it has always been worth it, and always been enriching. The conversations, the things we've learned, the perspective we've gained, the relationships... are worth more than any book, worth the trouble it took to prepare the room or extra food at dinner.
"Practice hospitality." -Romans 12:13 While it's not always easy, it's always worth it.
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