I am obsessed with the work of Will Guidara and his new book, Unreasonable Hospitality : The Remarkable Power of Giving People More than They Expect. This New York restaurateur, provides a recipe for making customer service and the workplace environment zing with goodness. His methods aim at transforming regular interactions and setting a high standard for hospitality. It starts with listening and then following through with creative ideas in service. One of his sayings is we should be living in a ‘one size fits one’ world and offering services that make people feel seen. Wowza. I love it. Jesus works on the same principles when he deals with us.
Suppose we work at increasing the pressure at the source of our compassion and see it flooding the atmosphere. Surely, we will have a greater chance of witnessing miracles. I am confident of this. If we linger on the outskirts, too frightened or self-absorbed to engage in others' lives, we will miss these magnificent moments—the stories that add colour to life.
People often find God when they're going through tough times. Our part in that transformation is a sticky point for me. The "how" of evangelism is a big topic. Minimally, we should learn to listen and become curious about the lives of people we meet. We offer people time and space to wait with them until they find their way. Too often, instead of giving people the space to rest and reflect, I’ve answered questions they weren't even asking. I don´t give enough time to think about moving toward God because I´m impatient for change. I throw everything on the table. God, however, shows patience and restraint. Like the slow food movement, perhaps there is something to be said for ‘slow salvation’? Evangelism is a service-based job. We are the waiters offering unreasonable hospitality because we care.