Hospitality - what a concept!

As a mother of five that home schools there are often days that I'm mentally, physically and emotionally drained (ya think?). The last thing I want to do is pick up the house, fold laundry, or make dinner. I long for the second that Jay walks in the door because it will be some mental relief for me.

I'm very good at jumping all over him the second he gets home...asking him to do things, demanding of his time, deferring the kids to him, etc. Of course he would prefer to ease into things rather than be bombarded. He wants time to unwind and relax and I wonder when I get to relax and unwind.

Recently a fellow mom/wife encouraged me by sharing her struggles with this very same issue. But she was feeling convicted about changing her attitude and behaviors...huh, nothing I ever wanted to do! Yet I've thought about what she said so much and realized how right she was.

I mean the truth of the matter is that I look at Jay's shoes lying around, or clothes on the floor from two days ago, or his pile of stuff on the dresser, or his un-cleared place at the dinner table from the night before and it annoys me. I get bratty and bitter and think, "I've got five children already to pick up after and I don't want to do this crap for anyone else, he's a grown man for cryin' out loud!" And then my thoughts get going...you know how the enemy loves that, when he can get that voice of self-pity going in our heads and get us more and more annoyed or resentful towards our husband?

But what a concept to think about - being more hospitable towards my husband and my own children. Having a servant's heart toward him rather than allowing bitterness to build up. The definition of hospitality is: the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers. I wouldn't say that Jay gets a warm and fuzzy friendly reception most days when he walks in the door.

And really if I'm being honest, I clean like a mad woman for guests. I pick up every item in the house if we're having people over, no matter who it belongs to. I am very warm and friendly to them when they walk in our door. So why can't I do that on a daily basis for my own husband?

I will say that this is not natural for me. It does not come easy to me. I have been praying a lot about it because it's so much easier (and makes me feel so much better) to whine and nag and complain to myself about it. :-) But certainly I can do for my own husband and family what I do for friends and guests, right?