Book Alert

We think in terms of entertaining as a woman’s chance to demonstrate her skills and the quality of her home. Entertaining has little to do with real hospitality.

Secular entertaining is a terrible bondage. Its source is human pride. Demanding perfection, fostering ht urge to impress, it is a rigorous taskmaster which enslaves. In contrast, Scriptural hospitality is a freedom which liberates.

Entertaining says, “I want to impress you with my beautiful home, and my gourmet cooking.” Hospitality, however, seeks to minister. It says, “This home is not mine. Its is truly a gift from my Master. I am His servant and I use it as He desires.” Hospitality does not try to impress, but to serve.

Entertaining always puts things before people. Hospitality has put away its pride, it doesn’t care if other people see our humanness. Because we are maintaining no false pretensions, people can relax and feel that perhaps we can be friends.

               ~ Open Heart Open Home By Karen Burton Mains p. 25

This part of Open Heart Open Home reminded me of one of my favorite parts of Thoreau’s Walden:

You need not rest your reputation on the dinners you give. For my own part, I was never so effectually deterred from frequenting a man's house, by any kind of Cerberus whatever, as by the parade one made about dining me, which I took to be a very polite and roundabout hint never to trouble him so again. I think I shall never revisit those scenes. I should be proud to have for the motto of my cabin those lines of Spenser which one of my visitors inscribed on a yellow walnut leaf for a card: --

         

 "Arrivéd there, the little house they fill,
   

Ne looke for entertainment where none was;
   

Rest is their feast, and all things at their will:
   

The noblest mind the best contentment has."