Each week in Faith Along the Way, Dr. Carl Grosse shares a message to encourage, challenge, and inspire readers as they navigate the joys and struggles of everyday life. Today, he reminds us of a simple social grace.
My life hasn’t exactly mirrored the I’ve Been Everywhere song, but Knoxville is the 12th move my wife and I have made since we married. Changing schools, jobs, homes, and traveling has taken us to many new places filled with unfamiliar faces. We’re grateful for the many people who have made us feel welcome along the way, including right here in the Marble City.
Welcoming is a skill that can be learned and practiced — at home, at work, at church or anywhere you’re an “insider” meeting an “outsider.” Much of what we learn comes by watching others and following the examples we’ve experienced ourselves.
The best role models have a way of making you feel they’re genuinely glad you’re there and that, for the moment, you have their full attention. If you’re in the right place, they help you get oriented and make sure you have what you need. Even if you’re in the wrong place, a gracious person will still treat you with kindness, help if they can, or point you in the right direction.
Many of God’s commandments encourage a welcoming spirit: “Thou shalt neither vex a stranger nor oppress him, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21). It seems God wanted to shape a people known for welcoming strangers.
Etiquette is an old-fashioned, sometimes stuffy word that brings to mind fancy tea parties and wearing hats and gloves. That’s unfortunate because simple social graces, like warmly welcoming others, fit beautifully with God’s instruction. They also help ease the tension and stress that so many people carry today.
Making life a little more pleasant should be reason enough to strengthen our welcoming habits. The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers [meaning to welcome and show hospitality, not play charades or show a movie], for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).
You certainly don’t want to be the one who fails to welcome an angel. Better yet, imagine how many angels you might bless through a simple act of kindness.
Angels or not, genuine hospitality helps build better people and a stronger community. Let us now go practice.
Dr. Carl Grosse is an ordained pastor and the author of Faith Along the Way, a weekly reflection for KnoxTNToday that encourages readers to discover God’s presence in everyday life and share His love with others.
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