The kitchen by today’s standards is more of a living space where families gather, and people entertain. This place is the heartbeat of a home.
Long ago, a kitchen served as a utilitarian area of a house. Affluent homes had people who worked in the kitchen. Back then guests were never allowed in this area because it was considered a service area.
Homeowners rarely went into this area as well.
Fast forwarding to today, the contrast in how the kitchen has come out of hiding and brought into the main living area is impressive.
Kitchens have gone from being an isolated room into a hub of activity.
Through time, servants were no longer used and the kitchen had to be designed to function around a family atmosphere.
The open concept has torn down dividing walls between kitchens and living areas, bringing the family together in one space. When having guests over, everyone can be in one area and enjoy each others company.
Cooking while visiting with your guests has become a big thing in our culture today. This indeed gives “breaking bread together” a whole new sense of hospitality.
An Area That Connects People
Today our kitchens serve many purposes. Sure, it’s still the place to prepare meals, but now family life extends beyond that space for cooking meals in. Families eat together, talk, do homework, art projects, bake together, and so much more. The kitchen connects the entire family.
Creating A Warm Space
A beautifully decorated kitchen offers little unless life is breathed into this space. Creating a magnetic attraction for your kitchen will make your family and guests feel welcomed.
There is nothing better than for your family to walk into the kitchen to the smell of freshly baked cookies or a lovely aromatic dinner cooking on the stove. Stir up their senses with the smell on the weekends with bacon and homemade biscuits.
Aromas wafting from the kitchen is inviting for your loved ones. When you are entertaining, treat your guests to releasing this sense of warmth with the scents of fresh coffee brewing and a warm pie right out of the oven.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8
The Hospitality Of Your Kitchen
Our kitchens serve as a warm gathering place for our family, but what about those outside of your home?
As Christians, we should be hospitable to all.
Do you have a neighbor that you would like to get to know?
Or has someone new moved into your area?
Invite them over for coffee and something freshly baked. Let your kitchen welcome them with the wonderful smells of something in the oven or some scented candles lit in the background.
Witnessing Through Hospitality
Inviting those you do not know into your home provides you with a way to share Christ’s love. Hospitality comes with a house key, and that very key unlocks provision that God gives you to be able to share with your family and community.
Extending hospitality among your neighbors opens the door to possibly saving the souls of many or perhaps just one. Your home reflects your faith and bringing someone into the loving environment brings them one step further towards knowing God.
When Jesus walked the earth, He served as both host and guest in many places. His hospitality was not limited to those who were clean and believers but to those who were unclean and did not know God’s love. We are all called to be hosts and give of ourselves just as Christ did.
A table where all can come together forges relationships and growth. Nourishing those who are saved as well as those who are not saved are the heartbeats of hospitality. The simple act of inviting your friends over for a meal or a lonely neighbor that could use someone to talk to will warm your own heart.
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2
Your kitchen will be the soul of your home as you continue to host the multitudes of hungry souls just as Jesus did.
May God’s presence in your kitchen be as sweet and warm as the aromas of freshly baked goods coming right out of the oven!