No Room

 “And she gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

Joseph’s ancestors were from Bethlehem, but they hadn’t bought a timeshare. With the local motel all booked up and no immediate family offering a guest room or at least the pull-out-couch in the office, Joseph and Mary found themselves sleeping in a stable. The events leading to their abnormal accommodations aren’t chronicled for us to read. We only know they ended up in the barn and that’s where Jesus ended up being born.  All because there was “no room for them in the inn.”

How could the innkeeper deny the definitely due Mary?  Where were the gentlemen who would give up their comfort for a laboring mother?  And if we’re pointing fingers, let’s ask the obvious—could not God have reserved them a room? Of course.  But if He had, the shepherds would have been turned away at the door, their search for the Savior ending in dismay and not delight. The inn was not accessible, but the stable door stood wide open.

The shepherds came to worship; then they went to witness (Luke 2:17).  And God took care of Mary and the baby, even providing a manger bed as the Messiah’s bassinet.

“No room.”  It’s a holiday reminder that what we think ought-to-be isn’t always what God knows needs-to-be, and it’s a guarantee that He can use even the most bizarre for His very best. This Christmas, if your plans are falling apart or not falling into place, trust that God is working in your life so those around you can see Him better.

Maybe being born in a barn isn’t so bad after all.