Being Hospitable

 Be hospitable to one another without murmuring. 1 Peter 4:9

Two weeks ago we had a North India Seekers Conference and Blending in Delhi and Gurugram. A group of seekers from different parts of North India came to attend the meeting. The arrangement was that the seekers stay in the homes of the saints. But there was a group of brothers who wished to stay together in one place. Since it was their first time to join this kind of conference, the only suitable place for a group of seven brothers and two sisters for hospitality was the meeting hall of the church. Therefore, the arrangement was made for them to be given hospitality in the meeting hall and I needed to take care of them. The venue for the meeting was in Delhi but the place of stay was in Gurgram, a distance of about one and half hour journey. It was not convenient at all for me in a very practical sense. But since that was the arrangement, I took that as the Lord's arrangement and looked to the Lord for grace to fulfill my responsibility well. 

Since I knew that this was not an easy task to handle by myself, I fellowshipped with my coordinating brother that dinner could be corporately made for all the new ones who were given hospitality in Gurugram. In this way, the burden was distributed to other saints too. It was such a release to share the burden with the members of the Body. In this way, I am learning to be hospitable. Otherwise, though I have the heart, I could not really be hospitable by myself. Even giving hospitality needs coordination in the Body. 

This time, the new ones also brought their pet rabbits along with them. This made the room smelly and dirty. Yet, in giving hospitality I need to accommodate them all, no matter what they brought along with them, or whatever or how many languages they had. Even for their travel expenses, I was quite concerned but the Lord made ways to meet the need for all the expenses, both for the traveling and food. 

What I ultimately learned was, that I should not reject hospitality simply because I think I cannot give it. But I must exercise to be enlarged in my heart to receive whatever the Body in fellowship has arranged. The Lord knows my capacity and He will allow what He feels best. So I simply must accept the arrangement of the Lord and learn to be hospitable. In myself, I am not a hospitable person. But in the Lord, I am, as the Lord's life is a life of shepherding that shepherds people, especially the saints. Therefore, I can be hospitable. And the Lord gave me the opportunity to learn this lesson on hospitality.

Lord, make me hospitable to all Your children and to others according to Your arrangement.