Our family enjoys welcoming others into our home but with six kids and a smaller house we have to make room in our home and our hearts before opening our door to company. While I would love to entertain guests in a freshly cleaned, well-organized, beautifully decorated home, that is not going to happen anytime soon. My goal is not to show off my home but rather to display the love of the Lord through hospitality and edifying conversations. With that in mind, here are my three quick and easy ways to prepare for company.
Prepare Your Heart
The best way to serve your guests is with a heart overflowing with the joy of the Lord. Before company is due to arrive, I try to make time to slow down and examine my own heart. Am I anxious about their arrival? If so, I need to remind myself that my goal is to put Christ on display, not my home. Perhaps I have spoken harshly to my husband or been short-tempered with my kids. In that case, I take time to confess my sin and to restore the relationships in my home before I welcome company.
When I am done praying for my own heart, I turn towards praying for my guests. I pray that they would have safe travels to and from my home, that our conversations would be God-glorifying, and that I would have opportunities to encourage them in their walk with the Lord or to share my faith with unbelieving friends. Taking time to prepare my heart means I have more to give when my guests arrive.
Prepare Your Home
A large family and a smaller home means clutter builds up quickly. I don’t mind company seeing how our home usually looks. It’s a testimony to the joys (and struggles) of raising children and living life. However, clutter can limit the amount of space we have to enjoy fellowship with our guests. Therefore, there are a few things we like to do to prepare our home for company.
At the very least we try to clear out the clutter. I give my kids two large laundry baskets and they go through the house and throw all the items that are not in their proper place into the baskets. This includes toys, books, school supplies, backpacks and articles of clothing that never made it into the hamper or dresser drawers. Then the laundry baskets are stored in the laundry room until our company leaves and we have more time to put things away.
I don’t usually worry about vacuuming the carpets or sweeping the floors since I always trust carpet cleaning irvine to do this work and also most of our guests include children who will be running through our home tracking in dirt and dropping crumbs. However, if a family with a baby or toddler is coming for a visit we do try to vacuum and sweep the floors so that it is safe for the little one to crawl around without the fear of the child putting something from our floor into their mouth. I usually ask one of my kids to vacuum the carpet and another one to sweep up the kitchen floor.
Finally, if time permits, I try to straighten up my kitchen. Dirty dishes aren’t always put away but I like to at least “organize” them in a neat stack in my sink so I can maximize my counter space for preparing snacks or meals for our guests. I also take time to wipe down my counter tops if I know one of our guests has food allergies. I don’t want them to accidentally touch crumbs or spills from a food they are allergic to.
While I don’t mind my guests seeing the normal state of chaos in my home, it is always nice to take a few minutes to prepare a space for them. When my entire family works together, it doesn’t take long to clear the clutter and straighten up our home for company.
Prepare Your Kids
I have six children who also need to be prepared for company. Sometimes in the excitement of having friends over, my kids forget their manners. I try to set aside a few minutes to talk with my children about who we are having over and ways we can show the love of Jesus to our guests.
We go over our guidelines for welcoming guests into our home, introducing ourselves to new friends, and how to address adults. We review ways to show hospitality like sharing toys, asking our guests what they want to play, offering them something to drink and using kind words.
I’ll be honest. My family and I have a long way to go in learning how to be hospitable. Every time we welcome people into our home, though, we are given another opportunity to practice sharing the love of God with others.
How do you prepare for company?
Janelle Knutson is a wife and homeschooling mother to six children who has written articles for the California Parent Educator magazine, The Old Schoolhouse magazine and local homeschool group newsletters. She is the owner of Janelle Knutson Consulting, a homeschool consulting business dedicated to assisting and encouraging homeschool parents. She enjoys speaking at homeschool events, MOPS groups and women’s events when she isn’t busy caring for her family. You can find her blogging at JanelleKnutson.com or follow her on Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, Twitter or YouTube.
