My Mama Katie was a true Mississippi woman. Born in 1904, she lived all 98 years of her life in this state, and she epitomized the Mississippi tradition of true hospitality. But she had to work hard to teach me about hospitality, because I was an ever-loving mess. So she often used this verse on me after I handily uncovered someone else’s sin – namely my sister’s. But Mama Katie was not fooled by my self-serving deflection. She knew me all too well. She firmly explained that when we love someone, we do not point out their flaws and faults, especially not to make ourselves look better. Instead, we cover those we love with grace and mercy. Mama Katie also bluntly recalled a few times when I had needed (and welcomed) the covering of my own shortcomings.Shaking her head, she said that we all love to see people “get what’s coming to them” – until it’s our turn for the getting. And she reminded me that “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” I have revisited these truths over and over during my lifetime. More times than I can count, I have thanked God for His unmerited grace and mercy. When I messed up mightily, I gladly received His hospitable covering of love, usually offered to me by other, equally flawed human beings. In turn, I tried to graciously cover people in the same way. Because even now, as the prospect of a new year dawns, I can still hear Mama Katie’s favorite tidbit from 1st Peter ringing in my ears: “Love covers a multitude of sins.”But to be honest, during the past few months, I began to question if I was demonstrating the truth of her beloved verse to people on a daily basis. Was I really covering others with love? I was not so sure!Maybe I was more aware of the need for “covering” in this new year, because of the death of our youngest son back in June. Maybe my grief and sorrow made me a little more raw and real than before. Or maybe I just recognized and appreciated the love of friends and family that has covered us over these long, hard months. Whatever the case, I have been reminding myself to look at those around me and see what they might need. See what is missing; see the hurts and the pain. Then, look for ways to cover people that I encounter. Honestly, this covering of others should be a part of our everyday lives. We should always be on the lookout for ways to be hospitable to those experiencing inhospitable situations. After all, we are Mississippians, and this is the Hospitality State. So, as we march hopefully into this new year of 2024, let’s take the time to really see our neighbors and look for ways to cover them with small acts of grace and mercy. What better way could we walk through this year than by covering others with love?It might be as simple as a smile, a hug, a phone call, a text, a plate of food, a swept sidewalk, or maybe just speaking kindly one more time to that grouchy man next door. We never know what a hospitable word or gesture can accomplish when done in love. For the truth is, my Mama Katie was right – love really can cover us all.
