There were no rooms left in the inn.

Luke 2:7 (NCV)

When we are bone tired from travel and desperate for rest, there’s nothing quite like a “No Vacancy” sign to send our emotions right over a cliff. We can almost feel Joseph and Mary’s desperation every time we hear the familiar story. There was no appropriate place for the King of the World to be born. But God, in all His wisdom, knew what He was doing. The Lamb of God was born in a stable, because that’s where lambs are born. A stable as imperfect and messy as our own hearts, so perhaps He was perfectly at home there. But there is yet another lesson to be gleaned from this beautiful piece of God’s story. We all have trouble making room for the King of the World in our lives, especially during the busyness of this season. The season that is all ABOUT Him is not always very FULL of Him. And we essentially hang up a “No Vacancy” sign every time we put everything else in our lives before Jesus.

While we love to sing “Joy to the World” this time of year, we pay little attention to the “Let every heart prepare Him room” part of the song. We all need to prepare Him room—to make some room in our hearts, in our schedules, and in our lives for Jesus. But it’s hard to fit anything into schedules that are too packed or hearts that are already too distracted. So before we can make room for Him in our hearts, before we can make Him our priority, we need to move a lot of other stuff out of the way. Because preparing Him room isn’t about the rushing and the shopping and the wrapping; it’s about slowing down and unwrapping the greatest gift this world will ever know. It isn’t about spending our savings on those we love to bring them joy as they gather around the Christmas tree. It’s about spending our time with Jesus, in His Word and in prayer, because He’s the only one who saves souls, because He loves us and we love Him, and because the joy He brings doesn’t end when the tree comes down. And preparing Him room has nothing to do with filling our schedules with treasured family traditions or filling our bellies with tempting treats. It has everything to do with filling our hearts on earth with the greatest Treasure who will one day welcome us to heaven. 

 This season, be intentional about focusing your heart on your Savior who came down for you. Slow down and spend time reflecting on who He is, what He has done, and appreciating God’s most precious gift to you—Himself! Go ahead and hang up your “Vacancy” sign, and let Jesus know that you always have room for Him, because He will forever have room for you! You are loved!