WATCH LIVE
EVENTS
NORTHSTAR
GIVE
“We are called to be people who make room—for God, for others, and especially for those who have nowhere else to go.” — Anonymous
Some spiritual gifts are easy to recognize. Some people have a gift for teaching, encouraging, giving, serving, or leading. We celebrate those gifts because we can see them in action. But there is another spiritual gift that rarely gets listed on a church inventory: the gift of an extra chair.
It is the simple ability to make room for one more. Again and again, Jesus showed that hospitality is more than providing food or having a clean house. It is creating space for people to experience God’s love. Romans 12:13 says, “…Always be eager to practice hospitality.” Peter echoes the same idea: “Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay” (1 Peter 4:9).
Hospitality is an invitation to make room. Sometimes that room is physical. You set another place at the table. You pull another chair into the conversation. You invite someone who might otherwise eat alone. Sometimes the extra chair is emotional. You make room for someone’s story. You listen without trying to fix everything. You allow someone to be honest about a difficult season without immediately offering advice. Sometimes the extra chair is spiritual. You invite someone to church. You include them in your small group. You pray with someone who is struggling. You help someone who feels far from God discover that they are welcome in His presence.
And sometimes the extra chair is simply noticing. Jesus was remarkably good at noticing people. In a crowd, He saw the individual. He noticed Zacchaeus in the tree. He noticed Bartimaeus by the roadside. He noticed the lonely, the hurting, the rejected, and the overlooked.
Hospitality begins when we notice that someone is standing without a chair.
The world has plenty of lonely people sitting in crowded rooms. They may look successful, confident, and surrounded by people, yet quietly wonder whether anyone would notice if they disappeared.
Maybe your calling today isn’t to do something spectacular. Maybe it is simply to pull up a chair.
Who might need an extra chair?
You may discover that one of the most meaningful spiritual gifts God has given you isn’t something you say from a platform or teach from a pulpit.
It may simply be the willingness to make room.
Discussion Questions
- Who is the “extra chair” God may be asking you to make room for right now? What person—neighbor, friend, coworker, stranger, or someone who feels overlooked—might God be inviting you to welcome into your life?
- What keeps us from pulling up an extra chair? How might busyness, comfort, fear, or simply staying within our familiar circle prevent us from practicing the hospitality Jesus modeled?