Generation NeXt Parenting

Guest Blogger...Cara Putnam

I love to entertain. We bought our current home in no small part because I knew it was a great house for having people over. The adults can be downstairs while the kids romp upstairs.

Eric loves it when I entertain because that means I’m going to cook a nice – maybe even great – meal. It’ll probably be a new recipe, and at least two steps above the routine of grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, and spaghetti. When it comes to quick meals I’m in a rut. When it comes to company, I’m in the cookbooks. Piles of them. Until I find the perfect dish to experiment with. Last night it was a new BBQ Beef recipe – wow, was it good! Friday night it was stuffed manicotti and a new spinach salad. We have been eating well.

But often, despite my best intentions, we can go weeks or a month without inviting anyone into our home. It’s a lot of work to get the house ready, to go grocery shopping (ugh!) and do all the cooking and prep work.

All that work used to stress me. Now I’m better --- notice I said better --- about relaxing and enjoying our guests.

Why go to all the effort? Because Christ commanded us to open our home to others. To break bread together. To share our lives with others. The question is am I willing to make the small-sacrifices required?

For me the answer is yes. I want my children to be comfortable and well behaved among a wide variety of people. I also want to encourage them to have their friends over – which means I have to invest in getting to know their parents, too.

But as we ate dessert and chatted over rounds of Uno last night, I decided it was well worth it. And it’s time to break out the calendar and schedule a few more nights.

What’s your favorite meal when you invite people to your home? Do you have a standard, tried and true favorite? Or are you an adventurous soul who prays the meal tastes good?

posted by Tricia Goyer @ 9:13 AM