Show Hospitality to Strangers

I grew up middle class in the suburbs where everyone was like us. When I moved into a diverse urban neighborhood, I was terrified of people who looked different from me. The verse about hospitality to strangers kept nagging at me.

I started small - saying yes when neighbors asked to borrow things, having people over for meals even though it was awkward, showing up at community events where I didn't know anyone. And something shifted.

I learned that the people I was afraid of were just people. Complex people, interesting people, people with their own struggles. The hospitality wasn't mainly for them - though I hope they felt welcomed. It was for me, to crack open the bubble I'd been living in.