Hospitality Hints is a monthly feature on our blog with some helpful tips for being hospitable in everyday life. Our hints may involve inviting people over, but not always! Most of the time, they will be about having a posture of hospitality—welcoming others into our lives.
I’m at the point in life where I’m not always the younger woman. I’m 33, in a new season of life, and I’m trying to figure out what it looks like to invest in women who are younger than me. Sometimes it looks like coffee or brunch with a girl who just graduated college to talk about life, adulting, and careers. Other times, it’s through my Community Group at church, which is made up of women in their 20s and 30s. I have always been one to reach out to other women for advice and wisdom, so I try to make myself available to do the same. Even if it’s not your natural inclination, it’s part of being the body of Christ to the women we encounter. No matter what stage of life you’re in, you have something to offer a woman younger than you.
Here are a few ways to make this part of your life on an ongoing basis:
- Do what you can do. Maybe you don’t have time to commit to meeting with someone on a regular basis, but you can open up your home and kitchen table to her. I have a friend who I’ve learned a ton from just by watching her be a wife and mom. It doesn’t have to be formal, but you can take her to run errands with you or have a meal at your table. It’s an awesome opportunity to give a college girl a free meal, too. We all remember what it was like to eat ramen noodles in the dorm!
- Share what you know. You’ve been the younger woman, so it’s not unfamiliar territory. Share your life experiences and what God has taught you in the process of growing up. She’s not looking for an expert, but she is looking for someone to share truth with her.
- Make yourself available. Carve out time on your calendar for time with younger women. It’s not easy, but how much time have you spent watching Netflix in the last week? What if just one of those hours (or episodes) was spent intentionally? When I talk to a girl about getting together, I try to put it on the calendar right then so I don’t forget.
- Say “no” when you need to. There are seasons when you need to let your “no” be someone else’s “yes.” Give yourself permission to know the season of life you’re in, but don’t let it become an excuse over time.
- Pray for opportunities. Don’t take this one lightly. Chances are, if you pray that God will send a younger woman into your life, He’ll do it because it matters. We see women in community with other women throughout Scripture, so don’t miss the opportunities that may be right in front of you.
- Don’t make it complicated. It’s so easy to overthink things like this and make assumptions. Don’t assume that other women are too busy or that you don’t have anything to offer. Just take a chance by saying yes, and see what God does!
Whatever you do, bring it back to Jesus. He is the one we can point women to, no matter what their season of life looks like at the moment. Share stories of His faithfulness in your life, and be prepared to see Him work in and through the time you give to other women.
Mary Margaret Collingsworth serves as an Event Project Coordinator at Lifeway Christian Resources and coordinates training events for women in leadership. She has a passion to see women engaged in ministry and living out their calling. Mary Margaret loves teaching God’s Word, eating Mexican food, calling Nashville home, and hosting Lifeway Women’s {MARKED} podcast. Follow her on Twitter: @marymargaretc.