To those who I've seen but never actually saw, I am so deeply sorry. To the ones who I have walked past on campus. To the waiters who have served me and I never even got your name. To the baristas at Starbucks who always make my skinny vanilla lattes so perfect every time...I am so very sorry.
I was at Passion City Church tonight, listening to one of my favorite pastors, Louis Giglio speaks on how to cultivate a lifestyle of hospitality. Yeah, it sounded boring to me too. But as he always does, he slapped me in the face with the truth.
We see people, but we don't engage with them. We tell people what we want for lunch but don't ask them how their day is going. We greet the people we know, but we rarely give them a "farewell".
We are so self-focused, that we can't see the people around us.
Something that I have always known I needed to improve was my hospitality. No, I don't mean inviting people into my house and throwing them a big ole' party. I mean loving people the way God has loved me, you, us.
I love the story that Louis used tonight to demonstrate hospitality. He was speaking about the evening before Jesus died on the cross. He gathered his disciples in a room to share a meal. He washed the nasty feet of each guest there. Okay, first off, anyone who washes feet is one heck of a saint to me but on his LAST DAY, he chose to spend his time washing each of his disciples' feet and serving them in a way no one has ever seen. I mean seriously, someone get me on the guest list to His next party.
But what convicted me was that I have spent so much time just seeing people. Hebrews 13:2 says, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."
We are so caught up in what is going on in our lives all the times -- the plans for tonight or the Greek event tomorrow. But how often do you take the time to notice the people that God has so evidently put in your sight that He wants you to reach out to? I rarely do. But I want that to change. Today. Right now.
I don't want to just see people, but I want to notice them. I want to engage with you. I want to listen to your stories. I want to walk through life with you. But not for any particular reason, just because so much of my life has been spent worrying about myself when really this life we have been given was so that we could show others the love that they are helplessly seeking. A love so sincere. A love that has no strings attached.
