Growing up, our house was the cool house - the one that my friends liked to come to and hang out in. We didn't even have a pool until I was in high school (which is a big draw in Florida), nor did we have a lot of games and stuff (although we were the first ones around to have Pong - the video game, not ping pong), but we were always hosting my sister's and my friends at our house. They would invariably be asked to stay for dinner. Our home became somewhat of a teen hangout.
I think maybe my mom (and my dad) had the gift of hospitality. She was always great at making people feel welcome in our home. But she confessed to me one day when I was older that one of the reasons she always enjoyed having Cindee's and my friends over was because that way she knew what we were doing and who we were hanging out with! Plus, she got to spend more time with Cindee and me. So, there was a bit of an ulterior agenda in play.
But whatever the motives, it was great to be the host home so much of the time. (Except for when my sister's friends and my friends were over at the same time... but that's siblings for you.)
I'll often share this story with parents of my youth group students. I don't think you have the have the spiritual gift of hospitality in order to make your home feel open and welcome. Don't worry about the mess or whatever. Just enjoy the time you have with your kids.
As the saying goes, "When you have kids, the days are long, but the years are fast."
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