There was a time in my life where I spent some months managing the construction project of our house. The bricks and mortar were birthed into what we call a home today and it is this home that hosts those close to us. Never did it occur in our minds that we would, at times, find ourselves in imperfect hosting situations because of the passion and love we had for gathering with others (pretty naïve of us). I’m giggling as a write this paragraph because the big lover of all things hosting in our home is me. I’m very grateful to my family for their grace extended to me and for always allowing me to be myself. I try not to abuse this privilege, though, as I know they enjoy time to themselves more than I do (I try to be mindful of that.)
My favourite quote since I often host with a stretched budget is, “When God is in it, all is enough.” I’ve already shared my love for hosting, even though often times I don't have a big budget or even enough space to host all the people close to my heart. My personality is also one that doesn't extend much grace towards myself. I'm passionate about ensuring that my hosting experiences are always impactful.
I love to have my guests feel I took the time to prepare for them by adding a special touch to our time together. We then can gather and enjoy the fellowship, using that time together to rest and forget about the buzz/noise of our everyday lives. We often hope for easy and flowing conversations. That, however, is not always the case. I used to find such imperfect situations so uncomfortable, until I learnt that even those are a part of a beautiful story at the end.
We just need to always allow ourselves to be lead and to pray for each gathering.
My husband loves the verse that says His ways are not our ways; he says he finds comfort in all situations, even those we don’t particularly enjoy, because God has already gone before us and made every way straight. Therefore, we find courage knowing that God is in control.
We’ve had an incident where we could feel that our guests were going through a challenging season and it was heavy. Our conversations had a lot of awkward moments and we wished they could share what was weighing on them. The tension was so tangible that you could cut it with a knife and we found it uncomfortable to engage. We didn’t know how to best approach the situation and they were also not eager to share their challenges, which kept the door firmly shut for us to share our thoughts or even words of encouragement for them. Thankfully, the woman finally broke the silence and confided in me about the season they were experiencing, as we walked to the kitchen together.
Despite all the delicious food and drinks, and all the effort that went into the hosting, we found ourselves in an imperfect situation. The guests were caught up in what they were going through at that moment. However, we appreciated them honouring the invite as we wouldn’t have known they needed someone to stand in the gap for them and trust God on their behalf.
Not all our hosting in life will be perfect because we put effort into the food and the cosmetics of hosting. Some of our hosting will be imperfect but we need to see it as opportunities for God to use us to impact those we are hosting in different ways, like praying about the challenges they are experiencing at the time. Imperfect hospitality is not lost.
Love, Dineo
Women of Reverence welcomes Dineo Nelwamondo as a guest blogger:
Dineo Nelwamondo is a mom of 2 kids and married.
She is passionate about property investment and that is the industry that keeps her busy .
She loves farming and the experience of growing something from nothing is what keeps her excited about life.
She enjoys hosting during her spare time and traveling. she also shares her experiences with her family on their Instagram page called @how.we.keep.busy.