Blessed by Hospitality

by Walt Reynolds

My Thoughts

Prompt: What have you learned about the value of hospitality from being in people’s homes this week?

Hospitality is a blessing. It very literally gives people shelter and sustenance to carry on. For me, I've always had the American experience of having my needs met. During this week, I’ve gotten to stay in the home of a Ugandan man. He lives in a nice, new home, one type of home that I would be used to growing up in upper middle class suburbs, but the first night we were there, he thanked God for the shelter. For him, it wasn’t just a house that he moved into after getting married, but it was a place that would protect him from the elements, and he was thankful for that.

I know that whether he had that home in the suburbs or if we were in a mud hut in Uganda, he would be hospitable and open his home to us with open arms, no matter what he he had to offer. With that comes humility, and also a selfless love. I’m very appreciative of that because it can only be displayed by a servant. All the homes I was blessed to visit this week showed me this same type of hospitality, but the roof that I got to sleep under was a great gift of African hospitality before we ever left our neighborhood.