If you’ve been reading around here for a while, you may remember that I wrote for 31 days on the topic of white space last year. I continue to hear from many of you about that topic, and it is something that I still have to speak into my own heart. In those 31 days, we explored the importance of carving out space in our hearts, our schedules, our physical spaces to make room for God to move. And to make room for the people in our lives. To make room for community. Because life happens in the white space.
This year, I’m going to write for 31 days about what that community can look like, and about imperfect hospitality. About feeling the strong urge to fill a home with noise and laughter and friends and their children. To make messes and not feel pressure to clean them up when a friend pops by to say hello.
I say “imperfect hospitality” because this series will not be about preparing fancy meals (though I will tell you about some of my favorite meals) and it will not be about preparing perfect fancy welcome baskets for overnight guests. It’s going to be about the heart behind community and what can happen when we are willing to get a little bit vulnerable, let down our guard, and open up our space and our tables to the people in our lives.
Last year when I wrote about white space, we were living in my husband’s grandmother’s home about thirty minutes away from our community. We were in such a dry place when it came to community. We felt removed and cut off. And we couldn’t wait to find ourselves settled again, in our community, so we could begin to foster relationships again. We wanted to use our home as a place for friends to gather and for our children to see the importance of those relationships in our lives.
Since January, we have hosted friends and family at our home at least twice a month, and it has blessed our socks off. In the coming days, I’ll talk more about that, but I just want you to know that it has been so good for me to throw perfection to the curb, get in my kitchen (or call the local pizza place) and become an inviter.
I’d love for you to join me this month, and I’d love to know what you’d like to hear about regarding community and hospitality.
Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
oooo this is going to be good! I can’t wait! Looking forward to it! 🙂
I love this! I want to be “the perfect hostess” when I plan to invite people over, but while they’re here, I find myself doing less hosting and more socializing and thus feeling guilty for not serving people or meeting their every need. Can’t wait to hear your heart on this!
I’m looking forward to this.
My parents live with us right now, while they remodel a home they purchased. I haven’t had one person over for a meal (in a year) and it has been hard. I feel like we’re on top of each other most days and I just started telling Alex a few weeks ago, that I really miss having people into our home. I decided last week that I’m going to host the Christmas party for our ladies group at church. Even if we’re still on top of each other! 🙂
love, love, love. i can’t wait to read more about your heart for community, having been blessed by it so much. i’m so glad you’re doing 31 days!
Oh, I can’t wait to follow along. We are where you were last year. In the middle of building a house and living with my Mom. It is so wonderful for so many reasons, but welcoming friends and family into our home was my favorite thing and I find I am so sad that I cannot do that this year. I think it’s part of my love language. I am trying to find other ways to foster the community where our new home will be and making sure we don’t lose the connections from our old neighborhood. I also joined our celebrations committee at our church and I’m hoping that helps this year! You are such an inspiration Erin!
I’m so excited about this series. I love having people in our home, but we have been in a constant state of remodel for a few years, with two bathrooms and kitchen on the schedule for the next year. I feel as though my house has to be perfect before we can host, and I know that isn’t the case. I need to learn to give myself grace and learn that my friends don’t care if the house is perfect. Can’t wait to learn and grow through this series!
Hi! I’m very excited to read your 31 day series! I have always loved having people at our house, cooking and chatting and all that. But when our first child arrived 2 years ago, it felt like more of an inconvenience than a joy – mainly feeling like a child might be found as an inconvenience to our non-parental friends. BUT we’ve had 2 different non-parent couples over to our house in the last week and it was a delight! They weren’t at all put out by these two babies I adore so much. They didn’t even seem to mind dishes in the sink either! I’m looking forward to hearing your wisdom on getting over ourselves and living in community. Imperfections and all.
Great idea! I can’t wait to read what you have to say on this. One thing I would love to know more about it how to be ok with being an imperfect hostess when some of the people you invite over are perfectionists. How do we respond when some people aren’t as gracious with us as we are trying to be with ourselves…
I absolutely love everything about this idea!! It’s the best feeling to have friends over and it’s so easy to get too consumed with things being perfect. If you do that, you just never end of having people over! Is it okay if I link back to this on our blog’s Friday round up? I’d love to share!
~Mary Keller
I admit that I have a few tears in my eyes reading this. We’re you reading my mind when you picked this topic!?!? I’m so excited for this!!!!!
Oh yay! I love this subject especially when it’s from an imperfect point of view. 🙂
Fantastic topic! Some of my favorite homes to visit are the messiest ones – it’s so much more about feeling comfortable rather than being waited on my the perfect hostess!! Can’t wait to read long with you this month!! 🙂
“Be an inviter” … I love that!! The Lord started working in my heart several years ago on hospitality and having people in my home – no matter how picked up it was. 😉 And then He decided to move us overseas to a culture that is ALL about hospitality and unannounced “drop-ins”. 🙂 Looking forward to reading along!!
This topic is just one that is so meant for me in my season of life. I want to become the inviter but never follow through. Looking forward to all of your encouragement this month!