“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Hebrews 13:1-2

It was the middle of a long hot day following a long hot week. Deanna and I were with a group in the middle of Honduras and had spent the week hauling cinder blocks to help build homes in the remote village. 

We carried cinder blocks the length of a football field from the supply area to the home site for three days straight. Glamorous it was not! When Sunday came, we capitalized on the sabbath rest. Sort of. 

Our group had been told that the next village over was a couple years ahead of the one we were staying in. Their homes were built. We were invited to go and see what this community looked like—a little motivation to keep carrying those blocks. 

Any reason to not carry those 35 lbs blocks for a few hours was a good enough reason for me. 

So we took a hike. Along side a mountain. In the Honduran heat. Restful it was not!

Our group of 15 were hot and tired. And we needed a break. We needed some shade. And, As God does, He provided. Around the bend we came across a home that was complete and its roof had an overhang—kind of like a front porch. 

And so all 15 of us huddled under that shade. We made this respite our home for 15 minutes. We cooled off. We settled in. We caught our breath. 

What we didn’t do was ask permission. As the home owners came out the door, we were thankful, apologetic, and kind. But we took over the place like we owned it. 

Almost immediately our group reflected on our blunder. The saving grace to our entitled attitude was the overwhelming hospitality of the family whose day we completely took over for a few minutes. 

They exuded kindness, warmth, and genuine care. They were happy to greet us and honored to share their space with us. It gave them great joy that their home could provide a respite for us. 

Imagine if 15 Hondurans showed up on your porch—how would you respond? I know I would not be as gracious. 

Hospitality is an art form. And it is a posture of your heart. In our instagram world, we can often think of hospitality as the hard work of creating a Martha Stuart photo spread of your home and serving food as if it were made by Betty Crocker herself. And, sure, this is a form of hospitality. It is about serving as host and making people feel welcome. 

But there is something beautiful and authentic about heart hospitality. That is, welcoming and loving with kindness. It is valuing the people that God has put before you. Author and gentle hospitality guru Liz Bell Young says it this way, “If we’re not taking care of one another, everything else falls apart…[Hospitality is] about gravel roads, gentleness, holding hands, and living as if we finally believe how much we are all worth.”

You, my dear friend, are priceless. And I truly hope someone surprises you in treating you as beyond worth today. 

And… I hope you do the same for others. Wow someone by going the extra mile. Not in extravagant ways, but in simple–yet profound ways.

Hebrews challenges us to lean into hospitality. Living kindly and welcoming others because you see their worth (and yours) is how love grows and compounds. 

I highly doubt that Honduran family thinks about the day 15 gringos showed up on the porch. Even if that day crosses their minds from time to time, I can assure you that their hospitality has a greater impact on me. In this sense, Hebrews gets it backwards. That Honduran family that welcomed me onto their porch—they were the angels that day. And their hospitality continues to speak to me still. 

I think Jesus calls us to live like this—that the things you do today may have such an impact on others that they will be speaking about your kind word, caring heart, and the authentic value you instill in them even a decade later.

When have you experienced hospitality?  And when have you extended hospitality to others?