Make Room


 

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first born, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:6-7

 

No room available.  In reading an Advent devotional I came across this phrase, “Yet when the Son of God came into the world, there was no room for him.” Did you just gasp? I did.  My gasp was not based on events from thousands of years ago but on the state of the world today.  I think it is because of the way the sentence is written, “When the Son of God” (a name/title important enough to be capitalized) “came into the world” (a place in desperate need of help) “there was no room for him.” 

          No room for Jesus? Why? Who or what could be more important than Jesus? In defense of the inn keeper of Bethlehem, he didn’t know who he was turning away. Can we say the same? No, no we cannot.

          Maybe you’re saying to yourself, “I love Jesus. I make room for him.” Me too! Right up until I don’t…. In all things, all things, Jesus should come first. The crazy part is that some of the very things that supplant Jesus’ place in our lives can also be things he is calling us to do.  A prompt to spend some time in prayer or reading Scripture is pushed aside because we want to call a friend. No room… A prompt to call that same friend is pushed aside because I don’t feel like talking to her and I’d rather just watch TV/check social media/anything else. No room…..

          We read the story of the birth of Jesus and we think “Oh if that inn keeper had only known who was at his door!” Then Jesus knocks on our door. We know full well that it is him but we pretend we’re not home.

          We’re not bold or honest enough to say, “No room here. Sorry.”  We say, “Oh I just didn’t have time!”  “I was going to but something came up.” Translated, when the Son of God knocked on our door we said, “There’s no room here.”

          Make room! More and more lately I have stopped to make room, to choose the better over the lesser and to swing open my door.  It is so worth it! There is nothing that can compare to spending time with Jesus. Nothing! It’s also pretty amazing because when I set that time aside, when I open the door, when I say, “Of course I have room for you!” Jesus answers by filling me with joy, peace and energy. That task I was dreading is not so bad. That scary event goes off just fine. Sometimes I even feel like I have more time not less.

          I’ll say it once more… MAKE ROOM! (Yes, I understand that all capitals means I’m shouting.) You will never regret opening the door to Jesus.

 

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