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Hospitality Before the Door

A bearded man wearing a gray “Needs Friends” T-shirt shakes hands with another man outdoors beneath trees, with a red balloon nearby.
Sometimes hospitality begins with noticing, stepping forward, and helping someone feel seen before they ever reach the door.

Hospitality does not always start with a clean house.

Sometimes it starts on the church patio.

Before someone knows where to go.

Before they know if they fit.

Before they know if anyone sees them.

Kevin has always been good at that.

He notices people before they ever reach the door.

I tend to think hospitality begins when someone enters my home.

When the table is set.

When dinner stretches far enough.

When the doodles are mostly calm and I remember to offer water.

But Kevin has reminded me that hospitality can begin much sooner.

With a smile.

With a name.

With a question.

With the willingness to step toward someone before they have to wonder whether they belong.

That is not complicated.

But it is intentional.

And maybe that is the part I need to carry with me.

Hospitality is not always a house.

Sometimes it is a posture.

Sometimes it is noticing.

Sometimes it is simply choosing to move toward someone first.

Before everything is ready.

Before you know exactly what to say.

Before the math makes sense.

Real hospitality may have less to do with what we have prepared and more to do with whether we are willing to see the person standing in front of us.

Let’s Talk

Where do you find it easiest to show hospitality?

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