A Hospitable Life

Sometimes I see people.

I hold doors. I help carry boxes. I let them in traffic. I send encouraging notes.

Too much of the time, I don’t see people. I rush past them onto the elevator. I miss seeing them in the lunchroom. I fail to follow up on their rough days. I am too focused on my own tasks. But I’ve found that I like myself much better when I see people. I don’t want to be so focused, driven, or oblivious that my life is inhospitable to changes in plans or needs that come up.

It is one thing to spend five more seconds to hold a door for a colleague, but I want my life to be hospitable in larger ways. I want to have time and energy to hear others’ stories, to really listen. I want to have time in my life for others. Sometimes I feel like I am pushed in so many different areas and I guard my free time fiercely. I need downtime and recharge time. But I do not want to be a hoarder of me-time. I want to hold it more loosely, to be willing to share it. To have time to bless others as well as be blessed myself.

I like myself best when my life is hospitable. I like myself best when I see people and share life with them.

Does anyone else struggle with this?

 

2 comments / Add your comment below

  1. You put into words what I’ve been feeling all week! Thanks for taking time to share this. Your blog is so great 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.