Entertaining strangers

Daily Reading: Hebrews 12, 13; Proverbs 19, 20

Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)

2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Good morning!

What is it like to entertain a stranger, helping someone out whom you do not know? Have you ever been the recipient of a extravagant gift of hospitality?

When I was a little girl, my father would arrange his vacation over Christmas break, so that we could visit my mother’s family in Mississippi. While Daddy was at work, we would help Mom pack the suitcases and fill picnic baskets with Christmas food to share, placing everything by the front door in anticipation of the trip. He loved driving at night. I personally find night driving to be terribly difficult, especially in bad weather, but it never seemed to deter my dad. Long before the days of seat belts and mini-vans, we packed our luggage into the trunk of our four-door Chevrolet, and set out for a Christmas Eve adventure. Daddy liked it when his children slept quietly in the back seat. Before our trip, Daddy cut a piece of sturdy plywood that fit perfectly across the floorboard of the back seat. Mom lined it with soft quilts and blankets, thereby creating an extra space for my sister and me to rest. I preferred sleeping on the floorboard. There, I would spent hours lying on my back, looking out the rear window while watching the great North Star up above. We would listen to favorite Christmas crooners, Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley, on the AM radio dial. My father couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, but he enjoyed trying to imitate these men. The roadways were not always in the best shape. Back then, interstate highways were two-lane and narrow, and it was not uncommon for us to drive in a fair amount of snow and ice. What now takes about eight hours to drive on a four-lane divided interstate, would have taken a good fourteen hours. If we left our home around 6pm on Christmas Eve, we could anticipate arriving at my grandparents’ farm around 8am on Christmas morning.

There was one particular road trip that I will never forget. It was Christmas Eve and the weather was rotten. We had a lot of snow in St. Louis, and the further south we went, the more ice we encountered. Daddy didn’t believe in stopping at a motel. He was way too thrifty to pull over and spend money just to sleep. It was difficult enjoying the view from the back window that night. The snow and wind was coming down so hard and fast that even as I lay on the floorboard looking up, all I could see what a blanket of white fluff piling up on top of us. We did a lot of slipping and sliding that night. What a scary ride it was.

I had just fallen asleep when I remember Dad pulling the car over to the side of the road. I hopped up, wondering if we were having car trouble. A young woman, traveling alone, was stranded along side the road, her car had spun out in the ditch nearby. She stood at the edge of the roadway, shivering and crying, hoping someone might stop to help, yet fearing the worst. This poor girl needed immediate help. My mother had to get out of the car and coax her to come with us. She assured her that we would get her back home to her family. Finally, after some coaxing, she agreed to let my father load her luggage into our car, as she sat in the front passenger seat to warm up. Daddy turned the car around and drove her back to South St. Louis that night. It was way out of our way, but he was far more concerned about the woman’s safety. I will never forget her sweet face, as she sat sobbing in the front seat of our car. I don’t know how many times she said “thank you.” We never saw her again after that night. We were late arriving to my grandparents’ farm on Christmas day, and they were worried sick. Can you imagine making a long trip without having the benefit of a cell phone to call ahead? Had my father not stopped to help the stranger in need, I can only imagine what might have happened to her.

The best gift I received that Christmas was not found underneath my grandparents’ tree. This particular holiday held a much greater meaning, because I knew that someone who was lost and alone had managed to get back home, safe and sound. Are there strangers in your midst today, who are stuck along life’s highway? Maybe there is something we can do to help the lost find their way back home.

The best gift you will ever receive is the gift you willingly give away.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: the strangers in your life. When we choose to reach out in extravagant generosity, we share the love of Christ with the lost. Don’t miss out on the opportunity today to be a blessing to the stranger in need.

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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

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