I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).
Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am,” proving in the utterance human existence as sentient beings. God’s acknowledgement of humanity is more sublime; God’s acknowledgement imputes worth.
I am in the restaurant business, although I prefer the word “hospitality.” Food is a vital part of life, and so is breathing. Food however, can be savored, enjoyed, shared, mixed, matched, paired, studied, and refined—food enhances social circumstances and is often mood altering—breathing, not so much.
Feeding someone is one form of hospitality; acknowledging the existence of someone on a personal level is another form of hospitality. I am delighted when a friendly word of encouragement and acknowledgment changes a dour, hurried, business-like countenance into an open, expectant, and human face.
Dramatic changes of facial expressions are most visible on the faces of children—I see it on my children’s faces when an adult acknowledges their presence, and I see it on the faces of other children whenever I acknowledge them. An adult acknowledging a child brightens their countenance. They see the twinkle in our eye, and it is valuable to their self-esteem. In much the same way, when God reveals an awareness of us in unexpected and uniquely personal ways, we see the twinkle in His eye.
Jesus allowed some to see the twinkle in His eye. Nathanael (John 1:43-49) fell on his knees exclaiming Jesus as the “Son of God and the King of Israel” all because Jesus surprised him with insight of a personal nature that no one other than God could have known. The woman at the well also experienced the twinkle in Jesus’ eye (John 4:39), prompting her to call others to come see Jesus for themselves.
I believe God enjoys letting us see the twinkle in His eye, allowing us a glimpse of His majesty in moments where things happen that should not have happened—a welcome and precise word from a stranger at just the right time—a happy turn of events when the odds did not favor it—an improbable conclusion to insolvable problems. One night, on a long and lonely stretch of highway, I found a radio station with a message meant only for me to hear. It was a million to one shot, and I experienced what Nathanael and the Samaritan women felt. After two thousand years, God still startles us with His awareness. It happens often enough that such moments are commonly called “God things.”
God see’s us in our humanity and loves us. His eyes twinkle. We catch Him looking at us in complete honesty and love. He is the fulfillment of all we hope for, long for, and need, and it is good to be reminded of these things. Like Nathanael and the woman at the well, we carry “God-thing” moments a long-time, probably for life. They alter our perspective and change us.
Your business touches many lives—employees, vendors, customers, and other third parties. It is good business to practice courtesy with all who come in contact with your business; it is better business to practice hospitality—to make a connection with others, acknowledging their uniqueness, their humanity, their reflection of the beauty imparted to them by their Creator. Courtesy is to breathing what hospitality is to food. One works beneath the surface, important but usually noticed only in its absence. The other is mood altering, life changing, waiting to be shared with another.
A fallen world is inhospitable, but we reveal God’s love when we offer the gift of hospitality to our neighbors.