by Leota Stevens

The practice of hospitality is an amazing adventure. It opens not only our homes but also our hearts and our minds to the needs of others. Our family once hosted a Christmas dinner where we expressed gratitude for all the public school teachers who had been instructors for our children. The night included dinner, caroling and a horse-drawn carriage ride through the streets of our town. We treated each person, believer and non-believer alike, with love and kindness. As we came to the conclusion of the festivities, several of the teachers, both men and women, left our home with tears of joy in their eyes. One of the ladies commented that she had been teaching for thirty years and had never been invited to a student’s home. The remainder of that school year was the best my children had ever experienced in public education. When our interaction with others is motivated by genuine Christ-centered concern for their lives, it reaches into the deepest recesses (no pun intended) of the human heart and touches others with his love.