Entertaining or Hospitality?

Do you know the difference between hospitality and entertaining?  Did you know there IS a difference?  Would it surprise you if I told you that while there is a place for entertaining, and it can be a part of hospitality, you should reflect more on which you are more concerned with?

So here it is.  Entertaining is the act of providing amusement or enjoyment.  This is more about you than them.

Whereas hospitality is generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests.  That means it is about them not you.

Does one of those sound more doable to you?  I personally love to provide amusement, just being myself does that!  And my husband says I'm really good at being generous and friendly to our visitors.  Well that's great!  I'm done here.  I've mastered both.  The end.  Good Day.

OH WAIT!!!!  So, I was reading this book I may have mentioned before called Housewife Theologian by Aimee Byrd.  She has a chapter on hospitality and there she says, "yes, please clean your house, but let your guard down too.  I'm talking about sharing in living, not making an image."  This hit me hard.  I like having everything exactly right before having anyone over.  I even go so far as to vacuum and sweep RIGHT before my guests show up.  Now, there is nothing wrong with this, but there are two problems (maybe more, but I'm dealing with two, mmmk?)::

1. Am I acting in a godly way before my guests arrive?  Or am I running around stressed because my house didn't get vacuumed a second time that day.  Would something terrible happen if I didn't vacuum a second time, right before they are there?  Would it be terrible if there was a toy left out or an item sitting on my counter?  No.  Of course not.  And yet I act like it would be the end of the world.  I become short-tempered, impatient, and just plain grumpy. 
   
2. I'm trying to create an image.  That I am perfect.  That my house is perfect, my kids are perfect, and look how put together we are.  I am not being real am I?  I am not letting my guard down with my guests.  I'm not going to sugar-coat this.  I am sinning, and so are you if you are creating an image you want your guests to see.  I am feeling pretty proud of myself when I can get my guests to think of me highly.  Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom." and 1 Corinthians 13:4 says, "Love is patient.  Love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."

So, what can I change?  Well, ultimately my heart.  But that doesn't happen by itself, but with much prayer and spending time in God's word.

But also, I would say taking the focus off myself...which brings me back to what am I doing?  Am I entertaining?  or being hospitable.  Well, since the focus is all about me I would say I am not being hospitable.  I have two little children, and if there are some toys on the floor that is fine and detracts nothing from being hospitable.  I don't need to stress about it, and I don't need to apologize to my guests for it (this again puts the focus back on me and will make my guests feel awkward). 

It turns out there is more to being hospitable that I originally thought.  

Also, here is a little something for the Duchess of Garbage Sinks since she is the littlest Duchess.