When I think of hosting in our home, the first thing that comes to mind is all the cleaning I’ll have to do.  Sometimes it’s hard to get beyond that issue, so that I just end up dropping the idea of having people over.  How can I change my attitude about cleaning so that it doesn’t hinder hospitality in our house?

Last week we had friends over for a dinner, and I didn’t clean my house!  It was an internal war inside - do I vacuum, dust and clean - or just let it go?

I’ll admit it.  Sometimes I can be pretty lazy when it comes to deep-cleaning my house. A quick pick-up is definitely easier and quicker!

But what will my guests think?

Will they even notice?

Perfectionism

Recently a friend shared her struggles with me, admitting that her house having to be perfect was the main reason she hadn’t had anyone over in months. It’s a shame, too, because she has a cute apartment within walking distance of her church.

She’s afraid to have people over because most of her friends are neat-freaks, and she’s afraid her place won’t meet their standards.

Prioritize

When it comes to hospitality, we often lose our focus as life gets hurried and complicated. We dash around doing things that really don’t matter (like cleaning the house before the guests arrive!), and then our perspective shifts. We get so caught up in our present circumstances, trying to make things so perfect, that we can’t see beyond our difficulties.