What does the welcome mat nestled beneath your front door say about you?
Maybe it mentions the spoiled dogs or cats who reside within the walls beyond door. Does it express a sense of humor or share your ability to say “welcome” in several different languages (welkom, beinvenue, willkommen, bienvenido)? I have even seen some that actually discourage vacuum salesmen, religion peddlers, and general solicitors. Or maybe your mat dons a design that warmly greets all who step up to the door and knock.
I recently bought a new welcome mat. It’s pretty plain, but I loved how the brick-type texture matched that of my house. People who visit my door can’t miss the generic “welcome”. For the most part I DO welcome people, but some days, when the “ding dong” door bell of announcement goes off, I grumble. Maybe my dogs are feeling especially barky and a visitor waiting outside my peppercorn green door is too much of a temptation for my trio of terriers. It becomes a source of annoyance for me. There are other reasons that cause me to dread the real-life game of “Knock, Knock . . . Who’s There”, like my attempts to take a nap or just emerging from a shower. But, those moments are few are far between.
But, think about this: how warm are we when welcoming people to the door of our hearts? What kind of mat do we display?
A Christian’s welcome mat should be woven together with fiber spun by God’s hands. Just like an earthly mat welcoming visitors into our homes, our personal welcome mats should warmly usher people into our hearts.
Fibers of Love
God is love. What kind of mat representing God would leave out this important thread?
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another,” (1 John 4:11 NIV)
If God loves us it makes sense that we should love others including strangers that come knocking on our door of our hearts. Maybe it’s a haggard young mother with a screaming child at the store. An empathetic smile or a loving word of encouragement is more welcoming than a reproachful glare. A co-worker who asks for a ride to work because her broken-down jalopy is in the shop feels like a cherished guest when the answer is “yes” instead of a garbled up “no” because of a little inconvenience on our part.
Putting out the welcome mat of love doesn’t mean becoming a door mat to be taken advantage of, but sometimes a simple act kindness exposes loving-kindness dwelling within a heart.
A welcome mat without love doesn’t have a pattern on which to build.
Fibers of Grace
Grace is a word with many definitions, but the one that often circulates in Christian circles is “unmerited favor.” We certainly don’t deserve the grace that God extends to sinful children, but we receive it anyway. And, as recipients, it’s a wonderful fiber to weave into the welcome mat of our hearts. Using love as the pattern, grace adds to the tapestry when we grant unmerited favor to those knocking on the door of our hearts.
Grace is quite simple in nature, but can be difficult to nurture.
Grace is . . .
- hugging someone even when you don’t “get” why they hurt.
- loosening the reigns on your fledgling children and becoming their biggest cheerleader.
- inviting the outcast sibling to join in buying a Mother’s Day gift for the one who gave life to you all.
- allowing someone to bask in the joy of exciting news because reality will kick in soon enough.
- listening to opinions that differ from yours while resisting the urge to cut them off, walk away, or dismiss them . . . especially if you have had plenty of time to express YOUR opinion.
- is being slow to take offense.
- covering your displeasure when things don’t go exactly as planned.
- allowing people to make mistakes as they learn.
- seeing the good in others instead of focusing on their shortcomings.
- not always having to have the last word.
When grace is not woven into the welcome mat of our hearts we become judgmental, critical, and crush the spirits of those around us. Instead of inspiring those we encounter, we repel them.
Fibers of Compassion
Where there is no compassion, there is no welcome. Jesus was the embodiment of compassion during his earthly ministry. He fed thousands on two separate occasions because He felt deep compassion for them. He healed the blind, the leprous, and brought the dead back to life for the same reason. As part of imitating Christ, the Apostle Paul said:
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.“ (Philippians 2:1-4).
Our welcome mat unravels without compassion and allows impatience, lack of sympathy, and selfishness to trample the needs of others.
What kind of welcome mat greets people when they approach the door of your heart? Does it greet visitors with love, grace, and compassion? A mat woven with the spiritual fibers that only God provides is one that genuinely welcomes all who knock.
©2013 Shona Neff
