Hillsdale students can be hospitable from their dorms. Julia Mullins | Collegian
I came to Hillsdale having learned the art of hospitality from my mother and grandmother, but with no idea how to translate it into my college life.
To me, hospitality conjures images of candlelit dinner parties and sunny living rooms: a far cry from the constrictions of the small, spare dorm rooms occupied by many Hillsdale students.
It was easy for me and my friends to dream of the gatherings we would host once we lived off campus, but much harder to see what could be done in the present. We have tight budgets and even tighter schedules. Yet all it has taken is several pots of good coffee and a willingness to open our small space to others to create a vibrant practice of hospitality as underclassmen. These days, our room is home to homework sessions, late-night shenanigans, unrestrained laughter, and an endless succession of coffee cups.
Our social media-saturated culture colors our imaginations with perfectly staged photos of every kind of event, making us forget the immaterial core of hospitality. The physical setting contributes to a good gathering, but the generous spirit of the host is most important. Believing that hospitality is an unreachable and magazine cover ideal, we lose out on the surprising beauty to be found in genuine communion with others.
Hospitality requires an investment of time, effort, and money. Experienced hosts know, though, that beautiful gatherings can spring out of the tightest circumstances. For instance, many of us were generously hosted during the power outage by friends with electricity and water. Far more important than monetary investment is simple intentionality: whether that looks like making your friends their favorite meal or giving them a space to unwind and watch sports after a stressful week. Furnishing your space with snacks to share with friends or giving up a couple hours on a busy night for a much-needed conversation will be a sacrifice, but have fulfilling results.
Sometimes, we cite our busy schedules and less-than-perfect spaces as excuses not to be hospitable. Don’t let “busyness” constantly outweigh your calling to be a generous friend. While midterms week might not be the best time to put together a dinner party, you can certainly carve out small pockets of time to be hospitable even in the busiest seasons. And rest assured: your guests won’t spend their time criticizing the setting if they see the warmth and intentionality you’ve invested in the gathering.
Hospitality is a way of honoring the friends you already love by tangibly communicating their dignity and value to you, and of deepening new bonds. Think of how special you’ve felt as the guest of a particularly amazing host. Perhaps they played your favorite music, or asked you with great interest about your favorite hobbies. Thoughtful hospitality is immensely dignifying to both host and guest. We need every opportunity to slow down and live out our human relationality, especially amidst the busyness of our student lives. To my fellow Christians, contemplate the way Jesus practiced hospitality in the Gospels. Though a poor traveler, He gathered friends and newcomers with care, whether to cook a fish breakfast on the beach or share a final Passover meal. In the familiar episode of Martha and Mary, He teaches that hospitality derives greater value from Mary’s example of warm thoughtfulness and openness than Martha’s anxious material preparation. Jesus set a perfect example of infusing hospitality with the divine.
All Hillsdale students should embrace hospitality in their everyday lives. Have a dinner party with close friends, organize a movie night, or celebrate a friend’s birthday with gusto. You won’t regret the investment, and you’ll be living out your Christian mission of friendship.
