Day 4: Prioritizing People over Perfection

It’s natural to shy away from showing hospitality when we feel inadequate. But if we dig a little deeper, we might find that this fear of not being good enough can actually reveal an area of pride in our hearts. It sounds counterintuitive, but think about it. When we fixate on whether our home is tidy enough, our meal impressive enough, or our conversation engaging enough, we unintentionally place ourselves at the center of the equation. This mindset can quietly breed a sense of superiority, as if hospitality hinges on our ability to perform or meet some imaginary standard.

I know this struggle personally. When I first started out as a hospitality blogger and was promoting my cookbook, I felt this intense pressure to host elaborate, over-the-top themed parties, like I needed to become the next Martha Stewart to prove I was “good” at hospitality. I thought that if I could create picture-perfect gatherings, people would see me as an expert. But the more I chased that ideal, the more exhausted and disconnected I felt. Because that wasn’t the kind of hospitality God was calling me to. He wasn’t asking for over-the-top; he was asking me to create a space where the pomp and circumstance didn’t matter—where the only thing that truly mattered was the invitation to the table.

The hard truth is, when we’re consumed with proving our worth, we lose sight of the people standing right in front of us that God wants us to invite in. Pride isn’t always loud and boastful. Sometimes it shows up as the quiet belief that everything rests on our shoulders. But biblical hospitality calls us to lay that down. It invites us to shift our focus from ourselves to the needs of others, trusting that God can work through our imperfections. Forming a habit of Christ-centered hospitality isn’t about achieving perfection; it’s about showing up, opening the door, and allowing God to cultivate a connectedness between us.

Prayer

Father, I confess that I sometimes strive to conform to society’s expectations for perfection. Please help me focus my efforts on loving others rather than trying to impress them. Amen.