Hospitality requires me to boldly welcome others into the mess that is me.

Invited into the Deep Welcome of Friendship

Posted on by Michele Morin

Across the miles they drove, journeying four hours north on washboard roads until they reached this country hill.

“We want to talk about the conference,” they had said on the phone.  “We can fill you in on the details in person.  The more you know about us, the easier it will be for you to prepare.”

I heard their words, but I was deaf to their hearts, because as the date of their visit approached, the puddle of panic around me grew deeper and murkier.  The faithless ponderings multiplied:

They’ll be sorry they traveled all this way to meet someone so ordinary.
Will they want to quiz me on my theology?
I’m sure they’ll take one look at my tiny kitchen and my beat up wooden floors and decide that I’m a mess, too.

This, for me, has been the challenge of the Christian life:  to boldly welcome others into the mess that is me, and then to trust – to trust that God will build a bridge between our hearts, and to trust that others will respond with acceptance and love.

As it happens, my new friends arrived a few minutes late – G.P.S.’s aren’t much help out here!  More important, though, when they showed up in my driveway, they did not arrive bearing an impossible yardstick or hearts of judgment.  They were not expecting me to look or to sound like a conference speaker or to live in a museum of Pinterest perfection.

We exchanged warm hugs and settled down to business.

 

Capture

And may I invite you to join us?
{I would love for you to continue reading with me over at The Perennial Gen . . .}

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Michele Morin

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I link-up with a number of blogging  communities on a regular basis.  They are listed in the left sidebar by day of the week.  I hope that you will take a moment to enjoy reading the work of some of these fine writers and thinkers.

Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and five adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

22 thoughts on “Invited into the Deep Welcome of Friendship”

  3. “They were not expecting me to look or to sound like a conference speaker or to live in a museum of Pinterest perfection.” I love this line. We put so much pressure on ourselves when others just want us to show up, authentic and true, so they can feel safe and secure in our presence.

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  8. This kind of writing is my favorite of yours. All your posts are lovely, but when you write these kind of posts I feel like I know you more, understand more of myself and know God in a new way! ❤

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  9. Michele, I love this post as much as (if not more than) when you first published it. It remains a poignant reminder of God’s grace and how He welcomes us with open arms — without judgement, just full of love.
    Thanks for sharing it again.
    Blessings to you!
    Marva | SunSparkleShine

    Like

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