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Bare rocks tower on either side of the dry stream bed as my husband and I hike through Wadi Dana, a Jordanian nature reserve. Clusters of reeds demonstrate here and there the presence of nearly-hidden water.
A few hours into our hike, two Bedouin men wave us from our path with the words, “Drink tea?” Their donkeys tied nearby were laden with produce to sell in town.
The men boil their traditional Jordanian sweet tea over a tiny fire. We crouch around the fire with them. Their simple invitation to share tea opens into conversation about family, the beautiful mountains and plans for the day. Their English does not extend much beyond the two-word invitation, but they seem not to mind that our Arabic requires plenty of gesturing and signing to be understood.
Parting ways and hiking on, I wonder about the message communicated in their simple invitation. With our backpacks and hiking gear, we stand out as foreigners in their territory.
Just smiling as we walked past would have been a sufficient greeting. Instead, their invitation to share their provisions makes us feel very welcome in a new place. As we pass the tents typical of the nomadic Bedouin shepherds who live in Jordan’s rural areas, in the hours to follow we receive many invitations to drink tea.
The traditions of hospitality developed in a hostile desert environment are part of Jordanian culture today. Walking down the streets of our city neighborhood, it’s not unusual to have strangers invite us in for tea. We have learned to only accept if we have no immediate plans—conversation over tea often lasts more than an hour!
Coming from an American culture where inviting strangers from the street into your home is nearly unheard of, the hospitality found here has deeply impressed us. It reminds me of the story of the patriarch Abraham who, when visited by three men (actually “the Word” who was later born as Jesus Christ, and two angels), promises a “morsel of bread,” then calls for his servants to prepare an extravagant meal (Genesis 18:1-22). That is hospitality!
Are these biblical examples practical today? In returning the many friendly Jordanian welcomes here the past few months, we have found many simple ways to show hospitality to those around us.
- Bring homemade “goodies” to your neighbors. Food is the easiest way to start a friendship.
- Greet the neighbor children. Building a snowman together might be the highlight of their week.
- Spend time with the older people around you. We “adopted” a couple on our street as our local grandparents. Their stories of times past offer a unique perspective on local history.
- Speak with people on public transportation. We met one of our good friends here on a bus to his home village. The conversation continued to his family’s fruit trees and ended with the first of many invitations to his home.
- Carry a set of pictures with you that show your family and scenery around your home, especially if you are working or studying far away. Pictures bridge language barriers.
Any of these small gestures of hospitality can be a part of our daily tasks to love our neighbors as ourselves. Take time to read The Welcome Guest from the Vertical Thought archives, and add a new phrase to your repertoire: Drink tea? VT
- About the Author -
Mary Ann Bates, with her husband Matthew, currently works as a volunteer teacher in Amman, Jordan, through the United Youth Corps.
I thought I knew where I was going and how to get there!
I told my mother I’d be just fine. I’d been there with her half a dozen times. I had permanently etched the route in my brain, right? “Okay,” she said, “just make sure you don’t miss the left turn into the parking lot—it’s easy to do.”
Where was I half an hour later? That’s right—lost!
Don’t worry; my vehicle was stocked with a good map of Cincinnati. Once I determined that I should have turned before my road came to a dead end, I dug out that much-needed map to get me back on the right track.
To turn around…or not to turn around
Getting lost is a funny thing; people don’t do it intentionally. I certainly didn’t. If I had realized I would have a hard time recognizing my turn, I would have consulted the map before I’d gone those miles too far.
But consider this; the same principle applies to life. Even if they don’t realize it, many people in this world are spiritually lost (Matthew 7:13).
An atlas for life
How do we discern when we are going astray on the path of life? How do we know to turn around before we reach an undesirable or dangerous destination?
There is a road map for life. It was written by the God who knows life’s highways and byways more intimately than we could ever hope to. That road map is the Bible! God’s “word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
A lamp gives us the ability to see the right direction to go. This incredible resource soundly guides us in every aspect of life. It can help us find personal fulfillment, develop happy families, have stronger relationships with friends and live in a way pleasing to our Creator. The point is that we have to give up our own selfish will and allow God to guide us through His Word!
You may know someone who is too stubborn or too independent to ask for directions. You may even be that person. Similarly, on the road of life we are too often unwilling to ask for help until we have run out of options; until we have reached the dead end of life! But how much heartache would we have saved by asking for directions before we started down the path to dissatisfaction?
God created life and knows how to make our lives work to produce true and lasting fulfillment. Do you want to be happy, live abundantly and have success in your life? Then doesn’t it make sense to read His manual for success before we attempt to go it alone and get lost?
I didn’t end up in a dangerous area, but I could have. Consulting the “map” is considerably more important when your possible destinations span life and death themselves (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Take the time to become familiar with the Bible; the free booklet How to Understand the Bible can help.
God’s Word is your priceless guide to the streets of life you travel every day and those you may just be venturing down. The result will be to live a fulfilling, abundant life today and to enjoy an even greater level of abundance as a member of God’s family in the world tomorrow! VT
- About the Author -
Shannon Wayne is a chemical engineering student at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio where she attends the United Church of God and volunteers at its regional youth camps.
