I don’t have a green thumb. I wish I did, but I don’t. Recently, I read an article that said plants can improve the air in the home, so in a surge of optimism I bought two.
Now, I’d like to be able to tell you that they are still improving the quality of air in my home, but they’ve returned to the earth “from whence they came,” sad to say.
My father can plant a toothpick and grow a tree. In his wisdom he suggested I buy a pineapple plant. He had several that were producing fruit and felt even I couldn’t kill those. I bought two.
I rationalized that the pineapple was the symbol of hospitality and of course I envisioned a “bumper crop” of luscious fruit at my front door. Who am I kidding? I was told I couldn’t kill it, and that was all I needed to hear!
I’m afraid I identify with Martha way too often. I believe that Martha loved Jesus just as much as Mary and in her heart she was doing her work for Jesus.
All of that work when all her guest really wanted was her company. Martha was entertaining while Mary showed hospitality simply by welcoming guests into their home and spending time with them.
Isn’t it wonderful that the pineapple is the symbol for hospitality? A plant that doesn’t require great fuss. A lot of times we confuse hospitality with entertaining.
To entertain is to impress someone while hospitality is from the heart. As women we think we must have the right house, right food, right clothes, everything just perfect and we pass up an opportunity to share our joy with someone.
Just like the pineapple plant, hospitality doesn’t require much fuss and work, only availability.
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When I was taking a tour in Charleston, SC…I noticed quite a few pineapples used as decorations in the tour homes. One of the guides told us that apparently many years ago a woman would put out pineapples(or statues of pineapples) to show that guests were welcome. Then, when she'd had enough and was ready for everyone to go home, she would take the pineapples down.