Chester quotes Jeff Vanderstelt from a blog article (soma-missionalmusings.blogspot.com):
Our home became known as the house where you could find a party or a place to rest, converse, share a struggle or receive some prayer. We let people know that we had an open door policy—if you wanted to stop by and visit or join us for dinner, you were always welcome. This led to people stopping over after a bad day, losing a job, looking for advice on child rearing or crying over a broken relationship. If we needed to be alone for a particular reason, we would politely make that known, but many times the Spirit prompted us to set aside our own interests and pray for strength to love our neighbors when it wasn’t always convenient for us. . . . We have found that the mess and the difficulty of loving hospitality done in the power of the Gospel is one of the most powerful witnesses we’ve had to our neighborhood.
I was particularly challenged by what he said about setting aside his own interests and praying for strength to love neighbours when inconvenient. This is something I struggle with. We have always wanted and pursued having an open home but there can come a stage when all I want to do is shut myself away on my own with a good book. I know there's a balance to be struck with being sensible and healthy but sometimes it's easier to shut the door than leave it open, but that's not always the right choice.
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