“
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 NIV¹
In her book Making Room², Christine D. Pohl noted that in many societies enduring the pain of tragedies, hospitality remains a far fetched moral practice but not an important expression of kindness and response for the life of faith. Deep within the Christian belief, being hospitable and generous is a fundamental expression of the gospel. Early Christianity thrived through plagues, wars and famines by sharing, praying, and worshipping as family units or neighborhoods. This was the true representation and attitude of the Christian faith. Every tragedy in the world has aimed at isolating or detaching needy people from well resourced people. Coronavirus is exposing the true nature of the human heart exempt from hospitality and generosity. When humans go into self preservation mode we reserve hospitality for those of equal or higher rank but not caring for those with no or limited access to basic resources to life. While some people are figuring out how to be the church in this age, others are thinking about how to do church. We struggle to find better ways to stand united than divided; in many cases we feel like strangers ourselves in our families or churches and communities. Christianity is fundamentally built on generosity and hospitality. This connects our theology and gospel of Jesus with the daily life experiences.
The true meaning of generosity and hospitality is not giving people things or embracing everyone but rather the posture of one’s heart and ability to listen to one another. Generosity and hospitality are a lens through which we can understand Jesus and his response in a world of challenges. Mother Teresa, a Nun and missionary known in the Catholic church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, devoted her life to caring for the sick and poor. She made room for an entire city in her heart before she physically stepped onto the streets of Calcutta. All she could share was the love in her heart.
Don’t feel bad if you only have enough room in your heart for your family. Find ways to also support and encourage those sacrificing their livelihood, like next door neighbors, nurses, doctors and all other service groups.
How are you Making Room?
1 The Bible. New International Version.
2 Pohl, Christine D. Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Eerdmans, 3 Aug 1999.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of All Unrivaled. Any content provided by our contributors/bloggers/authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.