Day 10~Showing Thankfulness For Our Guests
During this next week, as you are doing your preparations for your Thanksgiving dinner, join me in thanking the Lord for each of your guests ahead of time. Starting today, make a prayer list that includes the names of all those who will be your guests, and commit them to prayer. I’ll be including specific needs I know of for each person, as well as for a joyous time of fellowship while they are in my home. I pray a prayer of thankfulness for the blessing of each person in my life. I will also pray that relationships will be strengthened, and hearts will be filled with the love of Christ while we celebrate together.
A Scripture I like to remember during this time of prayer is, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2). It is important to me that I treat my guests as if they were Christ Himself, for Jesus Himself said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). This is the heart of hospitality I want reflected in my home. By focusing on these things ahead of time, I hope that whoever enters my home this holiday season will know the love of Christ as soon as they enter my door.
I’m curous: What are you doing to let your guests know how important and loved they are? Please comment below and let me know so that I can glean further ideas of how to show my guests how thankful I am for them this year.
I like to always ask my guests if there are any special dietary needs or just simply any favorites that I can include. I LOVE the idea of praying over our guest list!
I went to a ladies gathering once where the hostess had made bookmarks out of cardstock. They were decorated beautifully with glitter and beads. She wrote each of our names on them with something that she liked about each of us. This could also work very well for a Thanksgiving Guest list and would be fairly inexpensive, even free if you have the supplies already. It took time and thoughtfulness and I still treasure this bookmark even 10 years later!
Thank you for this. We are a young family and I have been searching for some godly ways to celebrate holidays. I grew up in a home where we never had guests, and hardly ever went to others’ homes, so ‘get together’ events are awkward for me because I don’t really know how to act as a guest, and I certainly don’t know what is appropriate to do when hosting guests.
However, I am trying to learn, as I think it is an important part of ministry, and I want my children to be warm and polite. We will host a guest in our home for the first time this Thanksgiving – a foreign exchange student from France who attends the local university. I am definitely nervous because there is something about her coming to our home. Can’t quite put my finger on what that ’something’ is.
Anyway, not to spill my whole life’s story here, but also, we didn’t really have any established family traditions as a kid, so insight into what others do every year is a blessing.
We really are ’starting from scratch’ and want badly to have a stable, godly atmosphere in our home. We think holidays and traditions associated with them are an essential aspect of that, but we have to borrow brains on this one. Thanks again for sharing!!!
Great ideas, Moxie and Jodie! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, RG! I’m glad it is a help to you.
Here is something I learned from some friends who are experts in hospitality. Don’t forget to tell your guest(s), “I’m so glad you came,” “It is a pleasure to have you here,” “We couldn’t wait for you to come.” Not just when they arrive and are leaving, but throughout their visit.
Molly