A Home That Blesses
By Susan Aikens
Dear Lovely Friends,
There is something special about a home with an open door. Not necessarily a large home. Not a perfectly decorated home. Not a home where every room is spotless, the table is beautifully set, and something wonderful is always baking in the oven.
Simply a home where people know they are welcome. As Christian women, our homes are one of the places God has given us to love and serve others. Whether our home is large or small, beautifully furnished or very simple, bustling with children or quiet, it can become a place of encouragement, rest, fellowship, laughter, prayer, nourishment and ministry.
October is a wonderful month to think intentionally about the atmosphere we are creating within our homes and the way we welcome others into them.
Before we talk about opening our doors, though, perhaps we should begin with what is happening inside those doors every day.
Speak God’s Word Over Your Home
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
-Joshua 24:15
This month, consider walking through your home and intentionally praying Scripture over the life that happens within its walls. Not because saying a particular verse over a room is a formula that guarantees a certain outcome, but because prayerfully speaking God’s Word reminds us that this home – and the people within it – belong to Him.
Lord, may this be a household that serves You. May the things we allow through this doorway honor You. And may the people who walk through it experience Your love through us.
At the kitchen table, perhaps we remember 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God’” NLT
Lord, may this table be used for Your glory. Thank You for the food You provide. Give us enough to share. Guard the conversations that happen here. Let this be a place where people are nourished not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
In the family room, we might pray Romans 12:10: “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” KJV
Lord, let kindness live here. Help us listen to one another.
Let this be a place where people laugh, talk, rest, cry, celebrate and be encouraged.
In our children’s rooms, we can pray for wisdom, protection, character, courage, kindness, purity, obedience and their growing relationship with God. And perhaps we should pray in our room, too.
Lord, begin with me.
Guard my tongue.
Make me patient.
Help me be slow to anger.
Give me wisdom.
Help me serve my family without resentment.
Make me attentive to the needs of others.
Help me create an atmosphere in this home that reflects You.
Because ultimately, the atmosphere of a Christian home isn’t created by what is hanging on its walls—it’s created by what is being lived within them.
Before you open the door, pray this prayer:
As you prepare for company to arrive, you are busy preparing the food, checking the bathroom, folding and straightening up. Take a moment before the doorbell rings, and pray:
Lord, thank You for the people who are coming into our home.
Help me stop worrying about whether everything is perfect.
Help me notice them.
Give me gracious words.
Help me to listen well.
Let our conversation honor You.
Let the people who enter this home feel genuinely welcomed and loved.
Use what we have prepared to bless them.
REMEMBER…
The clean bathroom matters.
The food and refreshments matter.
The fresh towel matters.
Taking someone’s coat matters.
Good manners matter.
But they matter because people matter.
THIS MONTH’S HOSPITALITY CHALLENGE
First, speak God’s Word over your home.
Choose Scriptures for the different areas of your home. Walk through your rooms and pray intentionally – not simply for the building, but for the life happening within it.
Second, Open the Door
Invite someone into your home this month. And when she leaves, perhaps she won’t remember whether your dishes matched or what you served, or whether your bookshelves were dusted. But may she leave knowing something much more important:
