“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2
Ted as you may or may not recall is a gentleman I had mentioned sometime back in a previous Abundant Living. He was a checker in a large supermarket in our neighborhood, and the story I had told was of how customers would choose Ted’s checkout lane over shorter ones because being checked out by Ted was worth the wait. He always had a friendly smile, a story to tell, a conversation to carry on, and he seemed to know each customer’s name BEFORE he scanned their preferred customer card. Simply put, Ted made people feel comfortable and at home.
A few months ago Ted’s beloved wife passed away after a lengthy illness, and since that time Ted has been forced to retire due to some health issues of his own. A few days ago Tee and I ran into Ted at a nearby Home Depot store. It’s the first time we had seen him since his retirement. We expressed our condolences over the loss of his wife, that he had been in our thoughts and prayers, and that we missed seeing him in the supermarket. Ted responded cheerfully that he missed seeing us, too. Then he went on to say this, “So many people like you have been so kind. I think I must be the most prayed over and loved man on the face of the earth.”
Hospitality does not have to be an elaborate activity as we sometimes think it should be. It’s nothing more, in fact, than what Ted has always done in the supermarket, that is making people feel comfortable and at home. Should it surprise us, then, that Ted feels like the most prayed over and loved man on the face of the earth? It shouldn’t. After all, he’s spent most of his life entertaining strangers, and by doing so I’m willing to bet he’s entertained a few angels along the way, probably without knowing it. Now that’s Abundant Living!