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I have been amazed over and over again by the generosity of the people of God. I know this is not everyone’s experience with the Church but I have seen Christ’s hands & feet at work in His people so many times. It is my desire that others would say the same about me.

There was a time when we honestly didn’t know where we would live. I’m not trying to be overly dramatic here. We were not in a dire situation. But, our family lives far from us & we are not overly wealthy so affording a hotel stay really wasn’t a possibility.

The Church's GenerosityHere’s what happened.

We looked for a house to buy for months but just couldn’t find the right place. I was pregnant & wanting to find a place before the baby arrived but that didn’t happen. We finally found a house we thought we could call home. It needed a lot of work but was really great for our family & we could see ourselves there. Our daughter’s instant love & comfort in the backyard sealed the deal.

My husband and I made our offer but didn’t know when the closing would happen. Our landlord at the time understandably wanted a specific time that we would leave the house so he could start looking for another renter. We told him we would be out by the end of August. This was the best case scenario & we didn’t want to pay an additional month of rent if we didn’t have to. August came and went without a closing in sight.

We had no idea what we were going to do. We had a 3 month old & a 2 ½ year old. A family from our church approached us with an offer so generous I still can hardly believe it. They had an in-law apartment built into their home & they were happy to open it for us to use. I thanked them but didn’t actually plan to take them up on it. They offered again & again. The time came when we didn’t know what we were going to do & were forced to see if they really meant it.

They, along with several others from our church, came to our apartment, loaded all of our stuff into cars & vans & trucks & moved us to their home. They emptied their garage to hold all of our stuff & then let us live in their apartment. They told us to use the backyard as much as we wanted & the laundry facilities. It was simply amazing.

I am still surprised that they so willingly took us in. A tiny baby who doesn’t sleep, an amazingly energetic toddler, & 2 VERY tired parents aren’t exactly the easiest house guests. But they took us in without complaint for 6 WEEKS while we waited on the closing & our floors to get redone before the furniture was moved in.

As I profusely thanked this dear family, I remember them stating, “We have been trying to sell our house for a long time & haven’t known why it wouldn’t sell. I think this is why.”

To be honest, I think they were right. Their house sold not long after we moved out. God prepared their hearts & home to be open to us in our time of need. That will not be forgotten!

I learned something about hospitality through that. Something amazing. Life doesn’t have to be convenient or easy. We should go out of our way to serve others with generosity even when it means nothing in return. Christ gave us our resources & they should be used for His glory to help His people.

Because of their generosity I have been challenged to hold my home with an open hand – ready to use it for the glory of God & the good of His people.

 

Interested in more stories of Real Life Hospitality? Check out Homeless in My Living Room