By Terrie Hellard-Brown
One Thanksgiving my husband Dave and I had to work all day because we lived in Taiwan that, of course, does not celebrate the American holiday. We didn’t get to cook our own turkey but ordered individual turkey dinners from a restaurant. That was not what upset our children, however. They were upset and miserable because we didn’t have anyone over to eat with us. It just wasn’t Thanksgiving without friends and fellowship.
Our apartment building was next door to our church for the first seven years we were in Taiwan. Every dinner, we would make an extra amount of food because we knew someone would likely show up to join us. Most of the time, it was someone we were discipling or a single friend who enjoyed the fellowship over dinner. And we often invited people over, especially on Friday evenings.
Throughout our ministry, we’ve always let people know that we have an open-door policy with our home. People are always welcome to stop by unannounced any time except early Saturday morning because we like to sleep in a little on Saturdays. We loved having people over even though our house was seldom perfect and was often a little chaotic. Even with that, most people would comment about how they felt comfortable and at home in our place.
We learned that setting an extra plate has many benefits for our family and for others.
- It builds connection with others in an informal, family setting.
- It gives us the opportunity to help people feel valued and welcome, especially when they see the genuine joy we have in inviting them into our dinner time.
- It builds a culture of sharing and fellowship for our children to enjoy and expect.
- It also opens the door for divine appointments orchestrated by God.
Setting an extra plate requires us to adjust a little.
- We must let go of perfectionism especially if we have little kids. With four little children, it seemed we could never keep up with straightening the house.
- It does require us to keep the house in a presentable state to the best of our abilities.
- We need to plan to have extra food. We always made extra and just used it as “planned overs” if we had any left over.
The best part of setting an extra plate is getting to know people better as we build relationships. It only takes a little extra planning and having a flexible, relaxed attitude towards unplanned guests.
Dear friends, I encourage you to pray about adopting this practice if you aren’t already doing it. You’ll be blessed by the joy of unexpected guests.
Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. (1 Peter 4:9, NLT)