As I talked about yesterday, hospitality is a command, whether you live in a small home or not.  Opening up our homes is a way to show “generosity and kindness” (as Webster puts it) to friend or stranger.

When we first moved into our little home, I never dreamed I’d one day feed eleven guests (plus our five) for lunch. Or think it was fun.

As I’ve tried to practice hospitality in our little home, here are some things I’ve learned along the way.Things that work for me:

Don’t be afraid to invite guests over: This may seem silly, but when we first moved into our little home, I was afraid to have company over. Pride played into it, but I also thought who would want to leave their homes and come hang out at my little place?  Maybe you have thought the same thing. But most people still want to come. Even large families! After all, they’re coming to see you, not your home! Some might even find the small home cozy and nostalgic.

Clear out the clutter: If you want to fill your home with people, there won’t be as much room for stuff. Clear out the clutter and make sure the things you have make your home a better place to be. Plus, the less you have, the less there is to make messes with!

Get creative: If seating is an issue, turn buckets or boxes into makeshift stools and pull them up to the table for kids. Turn your living room into the dining area. Eat outside. Make it an indoor picnic.

Some activities just don’t work in a small home, but many do: Seated group games don’t take much space. A long walk is fun if it starts to get cramped. Sometimes we turn our room into a personal theater for the kiddos so the adults can talk quietly.

Keep the menu manageable: Remember Mary and Martha? Don’t focus so much on food that you don’t have time to enjoy your company.

Make a plan: Pick a few tried and true meals and desserts that you can rotate for company. Write out a menu. Try not to experiment on guests. [Don't ask me how I know!]

Be prepared:[Try to] keep the home somewhat orderly. Keep easy to heat up food in the freezer for unexpected or last minute company. Some cookie dough freezes wonderfully (like the dough for these Almond Crunch Cookies.) Freeze the dough in wax paper and when a friend drops by, slice and bake. Soon you’ll have hot homemade cookies to serve.

Expect imperfection: Hospitality is not about putting on a perfect front. Be real. Sometimes the meal won’t turn out exactly how you wanted. Sometimes the dishes will be stacked high in the sink or your toddler will “decorate” the living room right before guests arrive. It’s okay.

Embrace the adventure: Warn your guests ahead of time that your home is small. My guests won’t get a guest room. They may not even get a chair. Enjoy squeezing a few more people into your home. Laugh. Make memories. It takes very little space to have a good time.

Prepare your self: The last few minutes before guests, arrive I’m usually flying around the house trying to get the last few things warmed up or put away. But, whenever I take time (even a minute or two) to pray, glance in the mirror and prepare myself, I am much better prepared to show real hospitality to others.

Most importantly, love your guests. Show them how glad you are to have them in your home. To loosely paraphrase Solomon, a simple meal served with love is better than a fancy feast and hatred (Prov. 15:17) Remember why you invited them over in the first place: you love them and want to get to fellowship together.

What about you? How do you show hospitality? Any suggestions for entertaining in a small house?

photo by agamamedia

According to Western standards, we live in a small home. Often, when first-time guests walk into our home, they glance around with a look of you do realize you have three children, right?

Yes, we are aware of that fact. We know it’s crowded. Although it’s a tight squeeze, we rather like our little house and think staying here is best for our family at the moment. 

Whether by choice or necessity, many of us live in small[ish] homes.

Hospitality is still a Scriptural command. No matter how small your home is, you can still show hospitality.

Maybe you can’t lay a spread like Martha Stewart. Maybe your guests, like mine, will be eating on the couch with barely enough room on the coffee table for plates, much less a centerpiece.

Maybe, despite constant scrubbing, your cracked old linoleum never looks quite clean.

Maybe you can’t prepare a gourmet dinner with less than two feet of counter space.

It’s okay.

My friend Heather, from Raising Mighty Arrows, recently posted about challenges we women face in being hospitable. Worry and pride are special challenges when working from a small home.

But hospitality is not about impressing guests with incredible decorating or cooking skills or a large beautiful home. Hospitality is about sharing and fellowship and friendship and love.

Webster defined hospitality as “The act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.” Kindness and generosity can be shown in the tiniest of places.

Those with large homes can more easily host a large Christmas crowd, but if your house is as small as (or smaller than) mine, there are still ways you can bless others by opening up your home.

You can still invite a friend over for lunch to fellowship over a hot bowl of soup, provide a college student with a home-cooked meal or turn your living room into a somewhat comfortable campground for friends passing through.

You can still bless a friend. A very hospitable friend (and amazing cook) said she sees it as part of her ministry to give other busy moms a break by cooking dinner for them. As a recipient of her hospitality, I know just what a blessing enjoying someone else’s [simply amazing] cooking can be.

Opening your home to friends and strangers is a command and a privilege.

Come back tomorrow as I share practical ideas (and a few things not to do!) when showing hospitality, especially if you live in a small home.

Linked up at Teach Me Tuesday and Domestically Divine

photo by agamamedia