“and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7
Surely, the only thing worse than making an 80-mile trek while pregnant and riding on a donkey is finding a “No Vacancy” sign greeting you upon arrival. My Bible footnote says the journey would have taken at least three days; some sources suggest upwards of a week. Not a pleasant trip, even if you aren’t nine months pregnant.
But Caesar declared a census and the whole world complied. The really interesting part is, although Caesar issued the decree, God gave the prophecy 700 years earlier: the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Our great God is the best chess player of all. He works through natural events and circumstances to fulfill His plan … and often surprise and delight us in the process.
I’ve decided we’ve given the innkeeper a bad rap down through the centuries. I’ve pictured a big, burly, pompous, rich guy booming, “There is no room!” Somehow I’ve suspected there really was a room back there somewhere and he just didn’t offer it. But let’s be realistic: the man was an innkeeper. That was his livelihood. If there was a room, wouldn’t he have rented it?
In actuality, he did make room. It wasn’t the nicest place—a stable can’t replace a firm mattress, clean sheets, and an Andes mint on the pillow—but it was shelter.
The innkeeper offered what he had available.
And isn’t that all God asks of us? How often have I turned on the “No Vacancy” sign because I can’t offer what I perceive to be the best?
Would meatloaf suffice if I don’t have (and have no idea how to prepare) prime rib? Go ahead and invite the new neighbors over!
Would a box mix work if I have no time to do made-from-scratch? Go ahead and bake cookies for the college students!
Could I send a card when driving an hour each way for the hospital visit feels impossible ? Send the card!
It occurs to me that too often I’ve had the “perfect” idea, only to realize that it requires more than I can deliver. Because there is no room—time-wise, money-wise, or even ability-wise—to do it, the follow-through never happens. Have I been duped? Has pride kept me immobilized? When I can’t do the great big thing I want to do, does that stop me from doing the reasonable and appropriate thing I can do?
Perhaps we could learn a little lesson from the innkeeper: just give what you have, do what you can, and trust God with the rest.
Maybe it’s time to make some room, or look for where we really had a little room all along.
Time to pull down—and maybe throw out—that “No Vacancy” sign.
God, show us where and how to make room!
In this week’s devotional video, Laura shares 12 ideas to help all of us have a “MARY” Little Christmas — and a MARTHA Christmas, too! For most of us, the Mary/Martha tension is a continual challenge. Finding the right balance between the eternal and the temporal is a daily dilemma that often feels especially heightened during the holiday season. We hope you’ll listen as Laura shares ideas for blurring those lines, as we do our Martha tasks with a Mary heart and mindset!
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