Be a Blessing

15 Jun 2009

Open-house policy

One thing I will always appreciate about my parents is their open-house policy. No matter who needed a bed or who my brother and I brought home for Sunday dinner, Dad was always ready with a chef-quality meal and Mum with some conversation, a clean bed and a big hug.

One Sunday dinner I will always remember is a Thanksgiving dinner when my brother was away in Ghana, Africa. Mum found herself missing him during the holidays and decided to invite about 10 Africans from my university who were separated from their own families to join us for dinner.

And boy, did we have fun! After an amazing dinner, we found ourselves in the living room drumming out beats with African instruments, playing African traditional games and laughing to our hearts’ content.

Loving to bless people

What I enjoy about these times isn’t that it was a big hassle for my parents or even that it was a try-hard thing: they simply love to bless people. And that is a beautiful gift.

Mum, I am absolutely positive, got more of a kick out of giving these kids a place to be on a holiday than they did at being there. Sure, they enjoyed themselves, but Mum positively glows in these situations.

Mum and Dad would never say that they are providing these kids a charity; instead, they see themselves as blessed to have such amazing friends and to have the means to be able to share a meal with them.

If only we all saw our means to give as a beautiful blessing from the God that decided to bless us first.

By Cara Wood (from War Cry magazine)